Improved performance of dye-sensitized solar cells using a diethyldithiocarbamate-modified TiO2 surface

Abstract

The surface modification of a TiO2 electrode with diethyldithiocarbamate (DEDTC) in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) was studied. Results from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) indicate that over half of the sulfur atoms become positively charged after the DEDTC treatment of the TiO2 surface. DSSCs were fabricated with TiO2 electrodes modified by adsorbing DEDTC using a simple dip-coating process. The conversion efficiency of the DSSCs has been optimized to 6.6% through the enhancement of the short-circuit current density (JSC=12.74 mA/cm2). This is substantially higher compared to the efficiency of 5.9% (JSC=11.26 mA/cm2) for the DSSCs made with untreated TiO2 electrodes. © 2013 D. M. B. P. Ariyasinghe et al.