Effect of mesoporous TiO2 bead diameter in working electrodes on the efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells

Yang Chen, Fuzhi Huang, Dehong Chen, Lu Cao, Xiao Li Zhang, Rachel Anne Caruso, Yi-Bing Cheng

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

40 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Mesoporous TiO2 beads with diameters of 320±50, 550±50, and 830±40 nm, comprising interconnected and densely packed TiO2 nanocrystals, were used as working electrodes for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). These electrodes possess high surface areas and superior light-scattering properties, which are ideal for DSC applications. Although the electrode prepared by using 320±50 nm beads demonstrated the highest dye loading and the electrode prepared by using 550±50 nm beads showed the best light-scattering properties in the wavelength region λ=400-800 nm, DSC devices with working electrodes composed of 830±40 nm beads achieved the highest power conversion efficiencies of 9.0% after treatment with TiCl4. A higher electron diffusion rate (4.35 × 10-4 cm2s-1) and an extended electron lifetime (58 ms) were observed in DSCs composed of the largest beads, 830±40 nm, attributable to a reduced amount of inter-bead barriers and a relatively small percentage of TiO2 nanocrystals on the surface of the beads, compared to cells containing 550±50 and 320±50 nm beads.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1498-1503
Number of pages6
JournalChemSusChem
Volume4
Issue number10
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 17 Oct 2011

Keywords

  • electron transport
  • mesoporous materials
  • photoanode
  • solar cells
  • titanium

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