Electrodeposited AgInSe2 onto TiO2 films for semiconductor-sensitized solar cell application: The influence of electrodeposited time

The influence of electrodeposited time (EDT) on Ag–In–Se species growth onto TiO2 films for possible semiconductor-sensitized solar cells (SSSCs) application was investigated. XRD analysis illustrated that the Ag–In–Se film was predominantly comprised by AgInSe2 species with tetragonal body structure and crystal size of 6.05–7.50 nm when EDT was in the region of 15–60 min at a bias of −1.25 V (verse Hg/Hg2SO4 (MSE)). Scanning electron microscope (SEM) indicated a high porosity of AgInSe2/ITO morphology, permitting electrolytes freely percolated through these films. The prepared AgInSe2 films exhibited n-type semiconductor behavior with two band gap energies at 1.27 and 1.80 eV. Photoelectrochemical measurement reflected that open circuit potential varied little with EDT, however, significant change was associated with short circuit current and fill factor (FF), causing the AgInSe2/TiO2 films with EDT of 45 min exhibited the best solar to electricity conversion efficiency of 0.26%. The AgInSe2/TiO2 films with EDT of 45 min demonstrated the longest electron lifetime according to the open circuit voltage decay analysis.