Investigation of solid state Pb doped TiO2 solar cell

Pb doped (10 mol%) TiO2 thin films, by sol-gel dip-coating method, are prepared for a novel low-cost solid-state heterojunction solar cell (n-PbxTi1-xO2/p-CuInSe2) application. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show the films to be polycrystalline, single phase anatase (A) type with crystals oriented mostly in A(101) plane, up to 700 degrees C annealing temperature. At 900 degrees C, presence of rutile (R) phase is also observed. Scanning electron micrographs show nanocrystalline porous structure of the films with particles of uniform size and shape. Auger analysis shows incorporation of Pb into TiO2 and its depth profile indicates uniform distribution of Pb, Ti and O along the thickness of the film. Photoluminescence (PL) measurements show a shift in the PL spectrum of TiO2 towards longer wavelength region as it is doped with Pb, suggesting a decrease in the band gap, due to the incorporation of Pb into TiO2 lattice. PACS: 78.65.-S.