Near-Field Effect of Ag@SnO2 Core-Shell on Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Performance

noble metal-metal oxide core-shells have been widely investigated as plasmonic antennas to enhance light harvesting efficiency (lhe) in dye-sensitized solar cells. in this study, ag@sno2 core-shell nanoparticles were synthesized and used in a dye-sensitized solar cell. sno2 shell avoids ag nanoparticles from being corroded by iodide-triiodide and prevents metal nanoparticles charging by free electrons. the structure and absorption spectrum of ag@sno2 nanoparticles were characterized by x-ray diffraction (xrd) and uv-visible spectrometry. photovoltaic measurements revealed enhancements of 44% for both the short circuit current density (jsc) and the power conversion efficiency (pce). diffused reflection spectra and diffused transmittance spectra provide evidence that this enhancement can be attributed to higher absorption in the photo-anode.