Farida Nuzuli Rohmawati, Herlin Pujiarti, Nasikhudin, M.H. Buraidah, Waode Sukmawati Arsyad, Evi Suaebah
Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs) represent a promising photovoltaic technology due to their low cost, simple fabrication, and environmentally friendly materials. In this study, TiO2/Carbon Quantum Dots (CQDs) photoanodes were fabricated via screen printing with CQDs concentrations of 0 wt%, 0.5 wt%, 1 wt%, 1.5 wt%, 2 wt%, and 2.5 wt%. Structural and morphological analyses revealed that increasing CQDs content reduced crystal size and particle diameter, enhanced porosity, and narrowed the bandgap. These improvements enhanced electron transport properties, as indicated by a prolonged electron lifetime. Optimal performance was achieved at a CQDs concentration of 2 wt%, yielding the highest DSSC efficiency of 5.55% and an electron lifetime of 6.7 ms, attributed to improved charge separation and reduced recombination. However, a further increase to 2.5 wt% led to a decline in performance due to excessive CQDs loading, which adversely affected the photoanode properties. These results demonstrate that CQDs incorporation at an optimal concentration significantly enhances DSSC performance. © 2026 Elsevier Ltd
Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Malang, Jl. Semarang No.5, Malang, 65145, Indonesia; Center of Advanced Materials and Renewable Energy (CAMRY), Universitas Negeri Malang, Jl. Semarang No. 5, Malang, 65145, Indonesia; Centre for Ionics University of Malaya, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, 50603, Malaysia; Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Halu Oleo University, Sulawesi Tenggara, Kendari, Indonesia; Department of Physics, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Surabaya, Indonesia
