Synthesis and application in solar cell of poly(3-dodecylthiophene)/ titanium dioxide nanocomposite

A conducting polymer composite poly(3-dodecylthiophene)/titanium dioxide (P3DDT/TiO₂) nanocomposite was first synthesized through the ultrasonic method. The results from X-ray diffraction (XRD) and infrared spectroscopy (IR) show that there is chemical interaction in the composite. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) depict the morphology of the samples, defining that TiO₂ was successfully coated by poly(3-dodecylthiophene) molecules. The energy gap of the poly(3-dodecylthiophene)/titanium dioxide composite is lower to 0.76 eV compare with poly(3-dodecylthiophene) and titanium dioxide separately, and it also shows that the optical performance of the new material is far superior than P3DDT or TiO₂ separately by ultravioletvisible spectra (UV) and fluorescence spectroscopy (PL). Solar cell was sensitized by P3DDT/TiO ₂. A solar-to-electric energy conversion efficiency of 0.188% was attained with the system.