Characterization of TiO2 nanocrystalline films for high performance dye-sensitized solar cells

Abstract

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) thin films were deposited by the sol-gel method with a surfactant-assisted mechanism. Its application for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) was investigated. Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscopy techniques were used to characterize the surface characteristics of thin films. Photovoltaic-current density measurements were performed to determine the photoelectrochemical properties of the thin films and the performance of DSSCs. Energy conversion efficiency of about 6.1% was achieved for cells with conductive glass under illumination with AM 1.5 (100 mWcm-2) simulated sunlight. Investigation showed higher photo-energy conversion efficiency for mesoporous TiO2 nanocrystalline films used in DSSCs relative to commercially available Degussa P25 films. © 2011 KIEEME. All rights reserved.