Effect of Ce doping on the structural, optical, and photovoltaic properties of TiO2 based dye-sensitized solar cells

Abstract

In this research, the sol-gel technique has been used for the preparation of titanium dioxide (TiO2), 1% cerium doped titanium dioxide (Ce–TiO2), 1% Ce–TiO2/TiO2, and TiO2/1% Ce–TiO2 films. XRD pattern verified that all the films consist of TiO2 anatase phases. The crystallite size of bilayer film is larger than that of a single deposited film. According to UV–Visible spectroscopy, the film Ce–TiO2/TiO2 has low band gap energy (Eg) value of 3.28 eV. The DSSCs of these films are fabricated with N719 dye and iodide/tri-iodide electrolyte. Various parameters including short circuit current density, open circuit voltage, fill factor, and efficiency of the cells are determined through J-V curves. The results exhibited that 1% Ce–TiO2/TiO2 film has achieved a maximum efficiency of about 3.08%.