Effect of activation temperature of Yttria Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ)/ZnO nanorods thin film on photoelectrochemical cell performance

Abstract

A photoelectrochemical cell (PEC) is a device that converts solar energy into electrical energy stored in the form of hydrogen and oxygen. The n-type semiconductor that shows promising potential as a PEC cell device is known as ZnO. ZnO in the form of nanorods (NRs) is considered capable of increasing the conversion efficiency of PEC performance due to the large surface area. However, in the energy conversion process, the photoactive layer of the PEC cell corrode easily in the electrolyte solution, reducing the stability of the current produced and shortening the lifetime of the PEC cell. In this study, the stability improvement using solid electrolytes in photoelectrochemical technology was studied. Yttria Stabilized Zirconia is a type of solid electrolyte that has high mechanical properties and ionic conductivity. Activation of YSZ powder at various temperatures is considered very instrumental to the efficiency of the PEC cell device. XRD, SEM-EDX, and UV–Vis characterized the samples. For efficiency measurement through I–V testing, it is equipped with photodetectors such as photoresponse of current and voltage as well as photostability. The higher the YSZ activation temperature, several results were obtained, the larger ZnO NRs/YSZ particle size, the lower the thickness of the film, the higher the absorbance value, and the smaller the band gap. In addition, sample agglomeration occurs at the temperature with the lowest activation and sample response when irradiated enough. Finally, the efficiency of the cell increases, namely at the YSZ activation temperature of 1400 °C, where 1% is produced.