Abstract:
A thin film solar cell was prepared by using n-type Cu2O layers and coconut
shell activated carbon (CAC). Cu2O layers were prepared by boiling the
copper plates in a CuSO4 (10-3M) solution for a certain time. The band gap
of n-Cu2O was ≈ 1.9 eV. The coconut shell charcoal was activated by the
steam method and it served as an upper electrode of this particular
photoelectrode. Diffuse reflectance spectra, photocurrent action spectra, V-I
characteristics and stability curves were used to discuss the characteristics of
this solid state thin film solar cell. The power conversion efficiency was
largely influenced by the surface area of CAC. The maximum power
efficiency of 2.5% was observed when the surface area of CAC powder was
1157.2 m
2
g
-1
, and that was used for constructing of the upper electrode of
this thin film solar cell.
