Effect of Cu₂O Morphology on Photovoltaic Performance of P-Type Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Cuprous oxide with different morphologies (3D hierarchical structure consisting of the micrometer dendritic rods and the porous truncated octahedrons) has been successfully synthesized via a facile one-step hydrothermal method using copper (II) acetate and ethyl cellulose as reactants. The p-type dye-sensitized solar cell based on the micrometer porous structure exhibits approximately 15% increase in J_SC and V_OC than 3D hierarchical structure. This enhancement could be explained by the high dye loading capacity of this porous structure and lowering the recombination process at the oxide/dye/electrolyte interface.