Comparison of Trap‐state Distribution and Carrier Transport in Nanotubular and Nanoparticulate TiO2 Electrodes for Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells |
| |
Authors: | Raheleh Mohammadpour Azam Iraji zad Prof Anders Hagfeldt Prof Gerrit Boschloo Dr |
| |
Institution: | 1. Institute for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Sharif University of Technology, Teheran 14588‐89694 (Iran), Fax: (+98)?2166164119;2. Department of Physical and Analytical Chemistry, Uppsala University, Box 259, 75105 Uppsala (Sweden), Fax: (+46)?184713633 |
| |
Abstract: | Dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSCs) with nanotubular TiO2 electrodes of varying thicknesses are compared to DSCs based on conventional nanoparticulate electrodes. Despite the higher degree of order in one‐dimensional nanotubular electrodes, electron transport times and diffusion coefficients, determined under short‐circuit conditions, are comparable to those of nanoparticulate electrodes. The quasi‐Fermi level, however, is much lower in the nanotubes, suggesting a lower concentration of conduction band electrons. This provides evidence for a much higher diffusion coefficient for conduction band electrons in nanotubes than in nanoparticulate films. The electron lifetime and the diffusion length are significantly longer in nanotubular TiO2 electrodes than in nanoparticulate films. Nanotubular electrodes have a trap distribution that differs significantly from nanoparticulate electrodes; they possess relatively deeper traps and have a characteristic energy of the exponential distribution that is more than two times that of nanoparticulate electrodes. |
| |
Keywords: | charge transfer solar cells electron lifetimes nanotubes trap distribution |
|
|