Influence of the Sol-Gel pH Process and Compact Film on the Efficiency of TiO𝟐-Based Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells
The influence of pH during hydrolysis of titanium(IV) isopropoxide on the morphological and electronic properties of TiO2 nanoparticles prepared by the sol-gel method is investigated and correlated to the photoelectrochemical parameters of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) based on TiO2 films. Nanop...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2012-01-01
|
| Series: | International Journal of Photoenergy |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/638571 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | The influence of pH during hydrolysis of titanium(IV) isopropoxide on the morphological and electronic properties of TiO2 nanoparticles prepared by the sol-gel method is investigated and correlated to the photoelectrochemical parameters of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) based on TiO2 films. Nanoparticles prepared under acid pH exhibit smaller particle size and higher surface area, which result in higher dye loadings and better short-circuit current densities than DSCs based on alkaline TiO2-processed films. On the other hand, the product of charge collection and separation quantum yields in films with TiO2 obtained by alkaline hydrolysis is c.a. 27% higher than for the acid TiO2 films. The combination of acid and alkaline TiO2 nanoparticles as mesoporous layer in DSCs results in a synergic effect with overall efficiencies up to 6.3%, which is better than the results found for devices employing one of the nanoparticles separately. These distinct nanoparticles can be also combined by using the layer-by-layer technique (LbL) to prepare compact TiO2 films applied before the mesoporous layer. DSCs employing photoanodes with 30 TiO2 bilayers have shown efficiencies up to 12% higher than the nontreated photoanode ones. These results can be conveniently used to develop optimized synthetic procedures of TiO2 nanoparticles for several dye-sensitized solar cell applications. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1110-662X 1687-529X |