Study on Optical Absorption and Conductivity of Hybrid ZnO Nanorod/Graphene
Akhmad Al Ittikhad1, Nurma Ari Sofa1, Nadiya Ayu Astarini1, Sefia Kharen Gilar Tiana1, Leny Rahmawati Novita1, Trio Erik Setyawan1, Nandang Mufti1, 2, Andrivo Rusydi3 and Robi Kurniawan1, 2, a)
1 Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Malang, Jl. Semarang 5, Malang 65145, East Java, Indonesia
2 Centre of Advanced Materials for Renewable Energy, Universitas Negeri Malang, Jl. Semarang 5, Malang, 65145 East Java, Indonesia
3 Singapore Synchrotron Light Source, National University of Singapore, 5 Research Link, Singapore 117603, Singapore
a)Corresponding author: robi.kurniawan.fmipa[at]um.ac.id
Abstract
The main keys in developing solar cells are their optical absorption and electron transfer (optical conductivity) levels. To enhance these two characteristics, an electron transport layer (ETL) was added to the solar cell, which is used to prevent electron recombination. Zinc oxide nanorod (ZnO NR) is one of the potential ETL candidates in the new generation of solar cells due to its high electron transfer. To optimize the use of ZnO NR in new generation solar cells, we combine NR ZnO with graphene, into a hybrid ZnO NR/graphene system. Optical absorption and conductivity of hybrid ZnO NR/graphene were studied using spectroscopic ellipsometry. A dramatic change in ellipsometry spectra has been observed, which increases with a higher number of graphene in the hybrid systems. Furthermore, the role of graphene on the optical absorption and conductivity of hybrid systems was investigated through fittings by applying the effective medium approximation (EMA) model. This study will provide a good understanding of optical absorption and optical conductivity of hybrid ZnO NR/graphene, which is an important key in the development of high-performance new generation solar cells.
Keywords: Hybrid ZnO NR/graphene, spectroscopic ellipsometry, optical absorption, optical conductivity
Topic: Smart materials