Enhancement of photovoltaic performance in dye-sensitized solar cells with the spin-coated TiO2 blocking layer

The TiO2 thin film layers were introduced with the spin-coating method between FTO electrode and TiO2 photoanode in dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) to prevent electron back migration from the FTO electrode to electrolyte. The DSSC containg different thickness of TiO2 thin film (10-30, 40-60 and 120-150 nm) were prepared and photovoltaic performances were analysed with /-Vcurves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The maximum cell performance was observed in DSSC with 10-30 nm of TiO2 thin film thickness (11.92 mA/cm2, 0.74 V, 64%, and 5.62%) to compare with that of pristine DSSC (11.09 mA/cm2, 0.65 V, 62%, and 4.43%). The variation of photoelectric conversion efficiency of the DSSCs with different TiO2 thin film thickness was discussed with the analysis of crystallographic and microstructural properties of TiO2 thin films.     

Enhanced electron lifetime on nitrogen-doped TiO2 films for dye-sensitized solar cells

Nitrogen-doped TiO2 crystallites were prepared via the hydrolysis of TiCl4 using an ammonia medium in an aqueous solution for DSSC photoelectrodes. The optimized photoelectrode for the DSSC was prepared with 9.4 nm sized N-doped TiO2 crystal (BET; 200 m2/g), which provides a relatively high short circuit current and energy conversion efficiency in the DSSC. The photovoltaic performance of the N-doped TiO2 electrode was confirmed using incident photon-to-current efficient spectra, impedance analyses, and Bode-phase plots which proved that the N-doped TiO2 electrode has a significantly enhanced electron lifetime compared with that of the P25 electrode.     

Effects of TiO2 structures in dye-sensitized solar cell

In this work, the effects of crystalline structure of the TiO2, which is incorporated in fabrication of the n-type electrode, on the DSSC performance were investigated in terms of the energy conversion efficiency. In this effort, TiO2 nanoparticle pastes with varying contents of rutile and anatase structures were prepared by using the ethanol mixing method. The most efficient photo-electro-chemical performance was achieved for the DSSC fabricated with the TiO2 paste in which the anatase form of the nanocrystal extends to 90%.     

ZnO/TiO2纳米管晶膜电极的制备及光电性能

采用水热法制备了ZnO纳米棒,以ZnO纳米棒为原料制备出ZnO/TiO2纳米管晶膜电极并应用于染料敏化太阳能电池.用扫描电镜(SEM)、X射线衍射仪(XRD)、X射线能谱仪(EDX)和N2吸脱附分析等研究了样品的结构、表面形貌和化学组成,并通过紫外可见光度计和电化学工作站探讨了煅烧温度在80~600℃范围内ZnO/TiO2纳米管电极的光电化学性能.此外,研究经TiCl4化学处理的ZnO/TiO2纳米管电极光电性能的改善情况.结果表明,600℃煅烧的ZnO/TiO2纳米管电极制备的染料敏化太阳能电池表现出较优的光电性能,其短路电流密度(Jsc)为2.28 mA/cm2,开路电压(Voc)为0.631 V,光电转换效率η为0.66%.600℃煅烧的ZnO/TiO2纳米管经TiCl4处理后的染料敏化太阳能电池的光电性能得到显著改善,其光电转换效率η提高到1.06%.     

Hydrochloric acid treatment of TiO2 electrode for quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells

Quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cell was fabricated by sandwiched polymer electrolyte containing liquid electrolytes between the dye-sensitized TiO2 electrode and a Pt electrode. The influence of hydrochloric acid treatment of TiO2 photoelectrode on the photoelectronic performance was investigated. Quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cell showed better photoelectronic performance when the TiO2 electrode was treated with hydrochloric acid than that without treatment. The short-circuit current density (J(sc)), the open-circuit voltage (V(oc)), and a conversion efficiency obtained for an incident light intensity of 100 mW m(-2) were 6.49 mA cm(-2), 0.76 V and 4.1%, respectively. It was found that the hydrochloric acid treatment of TiO2 electrode increased the short-circuit current density and cell efficiency.     

Surface modified TiO2 nanostructure with 3D urchin-like morphology for dye-sensitized solar cell application

Three-dimensional (3D) urchin-like rutile TiO2 powders were synthesized by a mild hydrothermal method without any templates. An individual urchin-like TiO2 powder consists of self-assembled nanorods with a length of about 150 nm and width of about 10 nm. Additionally, the urchin-like TiO2 nanopowders were coated with an ultra-thin ZnO layer in order to modify the surface properties of the nanopowders, and the ZnO layer was confirmed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. The ZnO-modified TiO2 was used as a photoelectrode of a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) and the solar cell performances were investigated. In comparison with bare TiO2, ZnO-modified TiO2 improved the photovoltaic performances, i.e., energy conversion efficiency, open circuit voltage, and short circuit current were increased. The higher DSSC performance of ZnO-modified TiO2 was attributed to its higher dye loading and lower charge recombination rate.     

Application of TiO2 nanoparticles coated multi-wall carbon nanotube to dye-sensitized solar cells

This study uses the sol-gel method to prepare TiO2 nanoparticle, and further applies TiO2 nanoparticle coating on the surface of the multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWCNT). As a result, TiO2-CNT composite nanoparticles are prepared to serve as photoelectrode material in dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). First, after acid treatment of MWCNT is used to remove impurities. Then, the sol-gel method is employed to prepare TiO2-CNT composite nanopowder. X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern shows that after the TiO2 in TiO2-CNT composite nanopowder has been thermally treated at 450 degrees C, it can be completely changed to anatase phase. Furthermore, as shown from the SEM image, TiO2 has been successfully coated on CNT. The photoelectrode of DSSC is prepared using the electrophoretic deposition method (EPD) to mix the Degassa P25 TiO2 nanoparticles with TiO2-CNT powder for deposition on the indium tin oxide (ITO) conductive glass. After secondary EPD, a thin film of TiO2/CNTs with thickness 17 microm can be acquired. For the prepared TiO2-CNT composite nanoparticles, since MWCNT can increase the short-circuit current density of DSSC, the light-to-electricity conversion efficiency of DSSC can be effectively increased. Experimental results show that the photoelectric conversion efficiency of DSSC using CNT/TiO2 photoelectrode and N719 dye is increased by 41% from the original 3.45% to 4.87%.     

Preparation and properties of a carbon nanotube-based nanocomposite photoanode for dye-sensitized solar cells

This study fabricates dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) based on TiO(2)/multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) nanocomposite photoanodes obtained by the modified acid-catalyzed sol-gel procedure. Results show that incorporating MWCNTs into a TiO(2)-based electrode efficiently improves the physicochemical properties of the solar cell. The results of dye adsorption and cell performance measurements indicate that introducing MWCNTs would improve the roughness factor (from?834 to?1267) of the electrode and the charge recombination of electron/hole (e(-)/h(+)) pairs. These significant changes could lead to higher adsorbed dye quantities, photocurrent and DSSC cell performance. Nevertheless, a higher loading of MWCNTs causes light-harvesting competition that affects the light adsorption of the dye-sensitizer, and consequently reduces the cell efficiency. This study suggests an optimum MWCNT loading in the electrode of 0.3?wt%, and proposes a sol-gel synthesis procedure as a promising method of preparing the TiO(2)-based nanocomposite.     

Sputtered highly ordered TiO2 nanorod arrays and their applications as the electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells

For the first time, the TiO2 nanorod arrays have been prepared on ITO substrates at room temperature by dc reactive magnetron sputtering technique. These TiO2 nanorods have a preferred orientation along the (220) direction and are perpendicular to the ITO substrate. Both the X-ray diffraction and Raman scattering measurements show that the highly ordered TiO2 nanorod arrays have an anatase crystal structure. The diameter of the nanorod varies from 30 nm to 100 nm and the nanorod length can be varied from several hundred nanometers to several micrometers depending on the deposition time. The TiO2 nanorod arrays with about 3 micrometers length have been used as an electrode for dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). Short-circuit photocurrent density, open-circuit voltage, fill factor and light-to-electricity conversion efficiency at 100 mW/cm2 light intensity are estimated to be 12.76 mA/cm2, 0.65 V, 0.63 and 5.25%, respectively, for the DSSC made of the TiO2 nanorods.     

Plasma treatment effect on dye-sensitized solar cell efficiency of hydrothermal-processed TiO2 nanorods

Atmospheric plasma (AP) treatment was carried out on TiO2 nanorods (NRs) that were hydrothermally grown on F-doped SnO2 (FTO)/glass. The effects of AP treatment on the surface of the TiO2 NRs were investigated, where the treatment involved the use of the reactive gases H2, N2, and O2. The surface energy of AP-treated TiO2 NRs was about 1.5 times higher than that of untreated TiO2 NRs (364.3 mJ/m2). After AP treatment, the increase of the peak area ratios of the Ti2O3 and TiO2 peaks in the XPS spectra resulted in a decrease in the number of oxygen vacancies in the TiO2 NRs. The efficiency of a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) based on the N2-plasma-treated TiO2 NRs, which was approximately 1.11%, was about 79% higher than that of a DSSC based on the untreated TiO2 NRs.     

染料敏化太阳电池CuAl2O4/TiO2光阳极制备及性能

采用柠檬酸法制备了尖晶石型纳米晶CuAl2O4,将其添加到P25(degussa,TiO2)中,制备成CuAl2O4/TiO2薄膜光阳极,并组装成染料敏化太阳电池(DSSC),对其光电性能进行表征。结果表明:CuAl2O4的加入,电池性能得到提高;当CuAl2O4含量为2%(质量分数)时,与纯TiO2薄膜光阳极相比,光电转化效率提高了39.1%。     

Solution Combustion Synthesis of TiO2 and Its Use for Fabrication of Photoelectrode for Dye-sensitized Solar Cell

Three different types of TiO2 nano powders were synthesized by a solution combustion synthesis (SCS) method using three different fuels and for comparison, another type of TiO2 nano powder was synthesized by calcination of titanyl hydroxide. These TiO2 nano powders were used to fabricate photoelectrodes for the dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) and their performance was compared to that of the DSSC fabricated with Degussa P25 TiO2. The results showed that the SCS TiO2 could work well as photoelectrode for DSSC. The SCS TiO2 contained impurities of C and/or S, thus exhibiting visible light absorption and reduced band gap. The open circuit voltage and the fill factor both varied little among the various TiO2 and thus both had little effect on the photoelectrical conversion efficiency (η). However, the variation of η was seen to be in quite a good agreement with that of the short circuit current (Isc), suggesting that η was dominated by Isc. Isc was found to be enhanced by light scattering effect due to the presence of large particles but reduced by high impurity content due to an increase in electron transfer resistance. In addition, the specific surface area of the powders was found to be an important factor affecting the Isc and thus the η.     

Nano-TiO2 for dye-sensitized solar cells

Photovoltaics are amongst the most popular renewable energy sources and low-cost solar cell technologies are making progress to the market. Research on dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) usually based on nanocrystalline TiO2 has been extensively pursued, and the number of papers and patents published in this area has grown exponentially over the last ten years. Research efforts have largely focused on the optimization of the dye, but recently the TiO2 nanocrystalline electrode itself has attracted more attention. It has been shown that particle size and shape, crystallinity, surface morphology and chemistry of the TiO2 material are key parameters to be controlled for optimized performance of the solar cell. This article will review the most recent research activities on nanostructured TiO2 for improvement of the DSSC performance.     

Effect of MWCNT Inclusion in TiO2 Nanowire Array Film on the Photoelectrochemical Performance

Rutile TiO2 nanowire array films with multi-walled carbon nanotube(MWCNT) inclusion perpendicularly grown on fluorine-doped tin oxide(FTO) substrate were prepared by a facile hydrothermal method.The absorption edges of the TiO2 nanowire array films are blue-shifted with increasing MWCNT content.The resistance of the TiO2 nanowire array film is decreased by MWCNT inclusion.The optimum TiO2 /MWCNT molar ratio in the feedstock is 1:0.1.For the TiO2 nanowire array film with MWCNT inclusion served as electrode in dye-sensitized solar cell(DSSC),an overall 194% increase of photoelectric conversion efficiency has been achieved.     

Influence of TiO2 nanofiber additives for high efficient dye-sensitized solar cells

TiO2 nanofibers were prepared from a mixture of titanium-tetra-isopropoxide and poly vinyl pyrrolidone by applying the electrospinning method. The samples were characterized by XRD, FE-SEM, TEM and BET analyses. The diameter of electrospun TiO2 nanofibers is in the range of 70 approximately 160 nm. To improve the short-circuit photocurrent, we added the TiO2 nanofibers in the TiO2 electrode of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). TiO2 nanofibers added in DSSCs can make up to 20% more conversion energy than the conventional DSSC with only TiO2 films only.     

Nanostructured TiO2 films for dye-sensitized solar cells prepared by the sol-gel method

TiO2 films were prepared on glass substrates using the sol-gel process for a dye-sensitized solar cell application. The TiO2 sol was prepared using hydrolysis/polycondensation. Titanium (IV) Tetra Isopropoxide (TTIP) was used as precursor and Nitric acid (HNO3) was used as a catalyst for the peptization. The crystal structure and morphology of the prepared materials were characterized by XRD, and an SEM. The observations confirmed the nanocrystalline nature of the TiO2. The reaction parameters, such as the catalyst concentrations, the calcination time, and the calcination temperature were varied during the synthesis in order to achieve nanosize TiO2 particles. The prepared TiO2 particles were coated onto FTO glass using a screen printing technique. The prepared TiO2 films were characterized by UV-vis. The TiO2 particles calcinated at low temperatures showed an anatase phase they grew into a rutile phase when the calcination temperature increased. The size and structure of the TiO2 particles were adjusted to specific surface areas. It was found that the conversion efficiency of the DSSC was highly affected by the properties of the TiO2 particles.     

Dry-spray deposition of TiO2 for a flexible dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) using a nanoparticle deposition system (NPDS)

TiO2 powders were deposited on indium tin oxide (ITO) coated polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates for application to the photoelectrode of a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). In the conventional DSSC manufacturing process, a semiconductor oxide such as TiO2 powder requires a sintering process at higher temperature than the glass transition temperature (T(g)) of polymers, and thus utilization of flexible polymer substrates in DSSC research has been constrained. To overcome this restriction related to sintering, we used a nanoparticle deposition system (NPDS) that could produce a thin coating layer through a dry-spray method under atmospheric pressure at room temperature. The powder was sprayed through a slit-type nozzle having a 0.4 x 10 mm2 rectangular outlet. In order to determine the deposited TiO2 thickness, five kinds of TiO2 layered specimens were prepared, where the specimens have single and double layer structures. Deposited powders on the ITO coated PET substrates were observed using FE-SEM and a scan profiler The thicker TiO2 photoelectrode with a DSSC having a double layer structure showed higher energy efficiency than the single layer case. The highest fabricated flexible DSSC displayed a short circuit current density J(sc) = 1.99 mA cm(-2), open circuit voltage V(oc) = 0.71 V, and energy efficiency eta = 0.94%. These results demonstrate the possibility of utilizing the dry-spray method to fabricate a TiO2 layer on flexible polymer substrates at room temperature under atmospheric pressure.     

Fabrication and characterization of photoelectrode thin films with different morphologies of TiO2 nanoparticles for dye-sensitized solar cells

This study deals with the fabrication of three different morphologies of TiO2 nanoparticles to fabricate two-layer photoelectrode thin film for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). The four different TiO2 morphologies are titania nanotubes (Tnt), TiO2 nanoparticles (H220), TiO2 nanoparticle (SP) and commercial DP-25 nanoparticles (P-25). To prepare the thin films of the photoelectrodes, the first layer is coated by H220 TiO2 nanoparticles, and the second is coated by 3 kinds of materials optimally proportionally mixed - P25, SP and Tnt. The photoelectric conversion efficiency of DSSCs with photoelectrodes fabricated using H220 reached 6.31%. Finally, the TiO2 nanaomaterials with four different morphologies were used to prepare a two layer photoelectrode with the structure of H220/P25-Tnt-SP which was combined with a Pt counter electrode to assemble DSSCs. These DSSCs had photoelectric conversion efficiencies of as high as 7.47%.     

Influence of cell fabrication procedure on the performance of the dye sensitized solar cell

The recent technological advancements of the Dye Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs) fabrication technology is gaining momentum as a low cost and simple fabrication technology to convert solar energy into electric energy. A systematic study of the DSSC fabrication procedure and its influence on the cell efficiency are presented in this paper. Preparation of the titanium dioxide (TiO2) layer on the working electrode was the most significant process improvement made to enhance cell efficiency. The Coatema tool was used to develop an automated TiO2 coating process, which yielded layer thicknesses with minimum micro cracks and repeatable TiO2 weight loading in the range of 8-13 microm. Secondary process improvements implemented were: vacuum drying step for the TiO2 layer, dilution ratio of the sensitized dye and sealant thickness. These optimized cell fabrication steps enhanced cell efficiencies over 200% and reduced total process time. The work in progress demonstrated higher cell efficiency slightly greater than 9% by reducing the cell size using the optimized fabrication process described in this paper. We are confident that higher efficiency cells can be fabricated with this optimized fabrication process illustrated in this paper.     

Hierarchical structured TiO2 photoanodes for dye-sensitized solar cells

A novel approach has been developed to fabricate hills-like hierarchical structured TiO2 photoanodes for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The appropriately aggregated TiO2 clusters in the photoanode layer could cause stronger light scattering and higher dye loading that increases the efficiency of photovoltaic device. For detailed light-harvesting study, different molecular weights of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) were used as binders for TiO2 nanoparticles (P-25 Degussa) aggregation. A series of TiO2 films with dissimilar morphology, the reflection of TiO2 films, absorbance of attached dye, amount of dye loading, and performance of fabricated DSSC devices, were measured and investigated. An optimized device had energy conversion efficiency of 4.47% having a higher dye loading and good light harvesting, achieving a 23% increase of short-circuit current J(sc) in DSSCs.