Development of p-type dye sensitized electrodes decorated with silver for photoelectrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide

This thesis is based on the development of p-type dye-sensitized semiconductor electrodes decorated with silver particles for use in the photoelectrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide. The major achievement of my work was to deposit silver particles onto the dye-sensitized semiconductor electrode through a photoelectrochemical reduction process and to study the effects of different conditions of concentration and time on silver deposition. The deposition of silver particles onto a dye sensitized semi conductor electrode has been done for the first time to our knowledge unlike the metal particle deposition on bare semiconductors in the past. The use of the dye reduces the overall band gap of the system and carbon dioxide reduction can be carried out with less negative potential as the dye inject the hole into the conduction band of nickel oxide at the application of a less negative potential.