The application of TiO 2 hollow spheres on dye-sensitized solar cells

Abstract

TiO 2 hollow spheres were fabricated by using SiO 2 as an inorganic template. Spherical SiO 2 particles were coated by TiO 2 through the nucleation process, and then the core SiO 2 part was eliminated by using HF solution. Finally, TiO 2 hollow spheres were obtained. The size of the TiO 2 hollow spheres was about 300-400 nm and the thickness of the hollow wall was about 20-30 nm. The hollow has several holes whose diameters were within 100-200 nm. Dye-sensitized solar cells fabricated by using the TiO 2 hollow spheres were characterized. The solar conversion efficiency of the cell was 8.45% when TiO 2 hollow spheres were used as a scattering material, while it was 4.59% when TiO 2 hollow spheres were used as a normal electrode material.