Electrochemical properties of TiO2 nanoparticle/nanorod composite photoanode for dye-sensitized solar cells

A unique composite of TiO₂ nanoparticles (NPs) and nanorods (NRs) has been used to fabricate a photoelectrode for developing dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) with higher sensitivity. The TiO₂ nanorods were synthesized using a mechanical process, in which electrospun TiO₂ nanofibers was grinded in a controlled way to obtain uniform size distribution. The characteristics of electron transport, recombination lifetime and charge collection were investigated by intensity-modulated photocurrent spectroscopy (IMPS) and intensity-modulated photovoltage spectroscopy (IMVS). Photoelectrodes prepared with the composites of NRs and NPs showed significant improvements in electron transportation compared to only NP photoelectrodes, which would enhance the photovoltaic performance of DSSCs. IMPS and IMVS measurements show that fast electron transport and slightly decreased recombination lifetime resulted in the improvement of efficiency. The highest energy conversion efficiency obtained from the photoelectrodes fabricated with the as-prepared rutile TiO₂ nanofibers at 5 wt% NR content was up to 6.1% under AM1.5G solar illumination. The results demonstrate that the composite nanostructure can take advantage of both the fast electron transport of the nanorods and the high surface area of the nanoparticles.     

Electron transport in dye-sensitized solar cells based on TiO2 nanowires

Anatase titanium dioxide nanowire arrays were prepared by hydrothermally oxidizing titanium foils in aqueous alkali and transferred onto fluorinated tin oxide(FTO)glass for use as the photoanodes of front side illuminated dye-sensitized solar cells(DSCs).Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS)measurement was applied to compare the electron transport and recombination properties of DSCs using TiO2nanowire films and TiO2nanoparticle films as photoanodes.It was found that the nanowire array films possess smaller electron transport resistance(Rt)and larger electron diffusion length(Le)in the photoanodes,suggesting that the nanowire arrays can enhance the electron transport rate and have a potential to improve the charge collection efficiency of DSCs.     

A novel TiO2 nanoparticles/nanowires composite core with ZrO2 nanoparticles shell coating photoanode for high-performance dye-sensitized solar cell based on different electrolytes

The novel TiO₂ nanopartilces/nanowires (TNPWs) composite with ZrO₂ nanoparticles (ZNPs) shell-coated photoanodes were prepared to fabricate high-performance dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) based on different types of electrolytes. Hafnium oxide (HfO₂) is a new and efficient blocking layer material applied over the TNPWs-ZNPs core-shell photoanode film. TiO₂ nanoparticles (TNPs) and TiO₂ nanowires (TNWs) were characterized by X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). DSSCs were fabricated using the novel photoanodes with an organic sensitizer D149 dye and different types of electrolytes namely liquid electrolyte, ionic liquid electrolyte, solid-state electrolyte, and quasi-solid-state electrolyte. The DSSC-4 made through the novel core-shell photoanode using quasi-solid-state electrolyte showed better photocurrent efficiency (PCE) as compared to the other DSSCs. It has such photocurrent-voltage characteristics: short circuit photocurrent (Jsc)?=?19 mA/cm², the open circuit voltage (Voc)?=?650 mV, fill factor (FF)?=?65 %, and PCE (η)?=?8.03 %. The improved performance of DSSC-4 is ascribed to the core-shell with blocking layer photoanode could increased electron transport and suppressed recombination of charge carriers at the TNPWs-ZNPs/dye/electrolyte interface.     

Influence of ZnO growth temperature on the performance of dye-sensitized solar cell utilizing TiO2-ZnO composite film photoanode

Ionics - TiO2 nanoflower (NF)-ZnO composite films were synthesized by using liquid phase deposition (LPD) and dip coating method. At the lower growth temperature below 50 °C, the...     

Controlled synthesis of TiO2-B nanowires and nanoparticles for dye-sensitized solar cells

Controllable synthesis of the TiO₂-B nanowires (NWs) and nanoparticles (NPs) had been achieved via a facile hydrothermal route, respectively, only by tuning the solution volume. The dye-sensitized solar cells prototypes had been fabricated using TiO₂-B NW and NP electrodes, respectively. The TiO₂-B NP cells had higher photocurrent and photoelectrical conversion efficiency than the TiO₂-B NW cells though the latter exhibited larger photovoltage compared to the former. The key factors such as the photogenerated electron injection drive force, surface defects and the interfacial charge transfer, which determined the photoelectrical properties, had been systematically researched with the surface photovoltage spectra (SPS) and the electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS). The SPS proved that there was larger photoelectron injection drive force in TiO₂-B NP photoelectrode than that in NW photoelectrode. And the electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) revealed that TiO₂-B NP cells had faster interface charge transfer compared to TiO₂-B NW cells. Both proved that NP cells had the higher photocurrents.     

Hybrid photoanode films based on sparse ZnO rod array-TiO2 nanoparticles in dye-sensitized solar cells

ZnO-TiO2 hybrid photoanodes were fabricated via the doctor-blade method by integrating vertically-grown sparse ZnO arrays with hydrothermal TiO2 nanoparticles. A special surface-coating technique was developed to deposit a thin TiO2 layer on the surface of ZnO rods. Microstructure, optical and photoelectrochemical performance of the hybrid photoanodes were investigated. The denser ZnO array exhibited bad filling behavior of nanoparticles in the interspace of ZnO rods, strong scattering and low conversion efficiency (0.27%). The sparser array showed a much better integrated microstructure, improved transmittance and high conversion efficiency (2.68%). The surface modification of ZnO rods by the TiO2 thin layer was found useful in improving the interfacial microstructure between the ZnO rod and the TiO2 bulk film, and the total conversion efficiency of 3.01% was achieved, higher than that of the pure TiO2 nanoparticle cell (2.93%). The increased scattering effects on the incident light, the enhanced electron transportation at TiO2/dye/electrolyte interface, and the inhabited recombination were responsible for this improvement.     

Interface modification of MoS2 counter electrode/electrolyte in dye-sensitized solar cells by incorporating TiO2 nanoparticles

To achieve the high efficiency in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), the interface modification of MoS₂ counter electrode (CE)/electrolyte should be carried out. Making the modified MoS₂ CE by incorporating TiO₂ nanoparticles provides possibilities to enhance electrocatalytic activity. The DSSCs with the MoS₂/TiO₂ CE show enhanced performance compared with DSSCs with the MoS₂ CE. The experimental results revealed that the MoS₂/TiO₂ nanocomposite influences on the power conversion efficiency by enhancing electrocatalytic activity and increasing the active surface area that serve to increase the short circuit current. This understanding can provide guidance for the development of highly efficient DSSCs with platinum-free CEs.     

Dependence of photovoltaic parameters on the size of cations adsorbed by TiO2 photoanode in dye-sensitized solar cells

The effects of “pre-adsorbed cations” in photoanodes on the performances of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) were studied using two different size cations (K⁺ and guanidine cation (G⁺)). While the DSSCs with optimized K⁺ ions pre-adsorbed photoanodes showed a maximum efficiency of 7.04%, the DSSCs with G⁺ ions pre-adsorbed photoanodes showed an efficiency of 6.73%. DSSCs fabricated with conventional photanodes (without pre-cation adsorption) showed an efficiency of 6.21%. Differences in efficiencies are very likely due to the cation pre-adsorption effects and could be due to a higher number of K⁺ cation adsorption per unit area of TiO₂ surface of the photoanode compared to a smaller number of G⁺ cation adsorption in TiO₂, due to their difference in sizes. This pre-cation adsorption technique can be used to improve the overall efficiency of a DSSC by about 14% fold over the conventional photoanodes use in DSSCs, specially using smaller cations.

     

Preparation of silver nanowires coated with TiO2 using chemical binder and their applications as photoanodes in dye sensitized solar cell

In this study, the core–shell structured Ag@TiO₂ wire was prepared for application to dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). The Ag nanowire, having an excellent electrical conductivity, was synthesized by using the facile microwave-assisted polyol reduction process. The diameter and length of Ag wires were 40–50 nm and 20–30 μm, respectively, and the face-centered cubic silver crystal structure was obtained. In the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol as a chemical binder, the entire surface of Ag wire was coated with the TiO₂ shell, which has thickness of 20 nm, through solvothermal method. The crystalline structure of TiO₂ shell was the anatase phase possessing an advantage to achieve the high efficiency in DSSC. The core–shell structured Ag@TiO₂ wire exhibited the high thermal stability. The high conversion efficiency (5.56%) in fabricated device with Ag@TiO₂ electrode, which is about 10% higher than reference cell, was achieved by enhancement of short-current density (J_sc) value. The core–shell structured Ag@TiO₂ wire could effectively reduce the charge recombination through the contribution to electron shortcut for improvement in the electron transfer rate and lifetime.     

Thickness effect of the TiO2 nanofiber scattering layer on the performance of the TiO2 nanoparticle/TiO2 nanofiber-structured dye-sensitized solar cells

TiO₂ nanofibers (NFs) were fabricated by an electrospinning process and were used as scattering layers in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The NF-coated photoanodes of the DSSCs were prepared with a variety of scattering layer thicknesses. The thickness effect of the scattering layer on the double-layered TiO₂ nanoparticle (NP)/TiO₂ NF structure was investigated through structural, morphological, and optical measurements. In the double-layered photoanode, the TiO₂ NP layer plays a major role in dye adsorption and light transmission, and the TiO₂ NF scattering layer improves the absorption of visible light due to the light scattering effects. The scattering effect of TiO₂ NFs layer was examined by the incident monochromatic photon-to-electron conversion efficiency (IPCE) and UV–Vis spectrometry. The conversion efficiency for the 12 μm-thick photoanode composed of a 2 μm-thick TiO₂ NF layer and 10 μm-thick TiO₂ NP layer was higher than that of DSSCs with only TiO₂ NPs photoanode by approximately 33%.     

纳米TiO2多孔膜的微结构对染料敏化纳米薄膜太阳电池性能的影响

采用溶胶-凝胶方法，在不同的实验条件下获得平均粒径从15到25nm左右的纳米TiO２2颗粒.利用这些颗粒制备出的纳米多孔薄膜，应用于染料敏化纳米薄膜太阳电池. 通过x射线 衍射仪分析，得到TiO２₂颗粒的晶相以及晶粒度大小，用透射电子显微镜观察 了纳米TiO２₂颗粒的形貌和尺寸.应用于太阳电池的纳米TiO２₂多 孔膜，经基于布朗诺尔-埃米特-泰 勒（BET）的多层吸附理论的比表面积测试和孔径分布测试，获得了多孔膜的微 关键词： 溶胶-凝胶法 2')" href="#">纳米TiO２₂ 染料敏化 太阳电池     

Improved performance of TiO2 electrodes coated with NiO by magnetron sputtering for dye-sensitized solar cells

TiO₂ electrodes are coated with NiO by DC magnetron sputtering, and their structural, optical and electrochemical performance has been investigated. X-ray diffractometry (XRD), UV-vis spectrophotometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), AC impedance, and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) are used to characterize the TiO₂/NiO electrodes. Their performance is evaluated with a computer controlled electrochemical workstation in combination with three conventional electrodes. The experimental results indicate that the surface modification of TiO₂ electrodes with sputtered NiO reduces trap sites on TiO₂ and improves the electrochemical performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Sputtering NiO for 7 min, which is about 21 nm thick, on 6.5 μm thick TiO₂ greatly improves the DSSC parameters, and the conversion efficiency increases from 3.21 to 4.16%. Mechanisms of the influence of the NiO coating on electrochemical performance are discussed.     

A facile and low-cost fabrication of TiO2 compact layer for efficient perovskite solar cells

A uniform and compact hole blocking layer is necessary for high efficient perovskite-based thin film solar cell. In this study, we fabricated TiO₂ compact layers by using a simple dip-coating method in contrast to the widely used techniques such as spin coating and spray pyrolysis. In this study, we optimized the surface morphologies of dip-coating based TiO₂ compact layers by controlling the concentration of Ti precursor solution diluted in ethanol. The analyses of devices performance characteristics showed that thickness and surface morphologies of different TiO₂ compact layers played a critical role in affecting the efficiencies. The dip-coating route to prepare TiO₂ compact layers employed in this study is more amenable to fabricate the large area device and less expensive.     

Spectrooptical investigation of the palladium state in Pd/TiO2 and Pd/TiO2(Nb2O5) systems

The state of Pd in Pd/TiO₂ and Pd/TiO₂(Nb₂O) systems is investigated by means of electron diffuse reflection spectroscopy, x-ray electron spectroscopy, and IR spectroscopy of adsorbed CO as a function of thermal and reduction treatments. Modification of titanium dioxide TiO₂ leads to intensification of metal-support interaction, which manifests itself as an increase in the content of surface complexes of Pd strongly bound to TiO₂. As a result of electron density transfer from TiO₂ with electron-excess Ti³⁺ ions to the metal deposited, the latter acquires an enhanced reduction ability. Institute of Physical and Organic Chemistry, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, 13, Surganov St., Minsk, 220072, Belarus. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 66, No. 1, pp. 84–88 January–February, 1999.     

电极表面改性对染料敏化太阳电池性能影响的机理研究

采用强度调制光电流谱(IMPS)和强度调制光电压谱(IMVS)技术,从染料敏化太阳电池(DSC)电子传输和复合角度对比了不同光强下导电玻璃表面阻挡层及TiO₂薄膜优化使电池性能改善的内在原因.阻挡层的引入和TiO₂薄膜的优化均通过电沉积法实现.结果表明,对多孔薄膜电极的不同改性均提高了电池的短路电流J_sc和效率η,但对电子传输和复合过程的作用机理有所不同:前者延长了电子寿命τ _n,但电子传输时间τ _d变化不明显;而后者则主要是延长τ _n的同时也缩短了τ _d. 关键词： 染料敏化 太阳电池 调制光电流谱/调制光电压谱 电子输运