TiO2 nanocrystalline layer as a bridge linking TiO2 sub-microspheres layer and substrates for high-efficiency dye-sensitized solar cells

Ding, Yong; Mo, Li-E; Li, Tao; Hu, Jiyu; Hu, Linhua; Huang, Yang; Fang, Xiaqin; Yao, Jianxi; Xi, Xiao-Wang; Dai, Songyuan

doi:10.1016/j.jpowsour.2014.09.007

Cited by 33 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…TiO 2 microspheres with high porosity and large mesopores have great advantages for preparing high efficient DSSCs. Preliminary experiments show that the η is improved by adopting the nanocrystalline layer as a bridge to link the microspheres and substrate, and constructing the continuous electron transport pathway via adding nanocrystallines into microspheres . By optimizing the microsphere interconnection and external pores, we have yielded 20.23 mA cm −2 of J sc and 11.67% of η , significantly higher than that derived from nanoparticle photoanode of similar thickness (Figure S8, Supporting Information).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 95%

TiO₂ Microspheres with Controllable Surface Area and Porosity for Enhanced Light Harvesting and Electrolyte Diffusion in Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells

Ding

Zhou

et al. 2015

Adv Funct Materials

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An optimized configuration of TiO2 microspheres in photoanodes is of great importance to prepare highly efficient dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). In this work, TiO2 microspheres with tunable diameter, pore size, and porosity are synthesized by subtly adjusting the synthesizing conditions, including ratios of deionized water, ammonia, and ethanol, respectively. TiO2 microspheres are obtained with large pore sizes and a high porosity without sacrificing specific surface areas. In addition, the effect of their porosity and pore size on the performance of DSSCs is investigated. As confirmed by the dye‐loading ability and electrolyte diffusion resistance, the large mesopores and the high porosity of the TiO2 microspheres can improve dye adsorption and facilitate electrolyte diffusion, giving rise to a high light‐harvesting and electron collection efficiency. Consequently, the highest photocurrent of 19.21 mA cm−2 and a power conversion efficiency of 9.98% are obtained by using the TiO2 microspheres with the highest porosity, compared with a 9.29% efficiency demonstrated by the lowest porosity (an improvement of 7.4%). By modifying the interconnection and the external pores of the microspheres photoanode, a high efficiency of 11.67% is achieved for a DSSC based on the most potent TiO2 microspheres.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 95%

TiO₂ Microspheres with Controllable Surface Area and Porosity for Enhanced Light Harvesting and Electrolyte Diffusion in Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells

Ding

Zhou

et al. 2015

Adv Funct Materials

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“…Owing to the large micrometer size of the as-obtained YS-TiO 2 microspheres, some light might be back scattered at the FTO-TiO 2 interface, therefore this part of light usually cannot be utilized by the dye to generate electrons 28 30 . Additionally, the connectivity with FTO surface and recombination of generated electrons can greatly influence the performance of a DSSC 31 32 . Therefore, in this study, a DSL-18 nanoparticles underlayer and TiCl 4 post-treatment were employed to improve the performance of YS-TiO 2 based DSSC 27 28 33 34 , as a result, giving J sc a high value of 18.84 mA cm −2 , and consequently resulting in a PCE value up to 11.03% ( Fig.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mesoporous TiO2 Yolk-Shell Microspheres for Dye-sensitized Solar Cells with a High Efficiency Exceeding 11%

Chen

Guo

et al. 2015

Sci Rep

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Yolk-shell TiO2 microspheres were synthesized via a one-pot template-free solvothermal method building on the aldol condensation reaction of acetylacetone. This unique structure shows superior light scattering ability resulting in power conversion efficiency as high as 11%. This work provided a new synthesis system for TiO2 microspheres from solid to hollow and a novel material platform for high performance solar cells.

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“…13,20,52,53 Hence, in this work, MS-6 based film was optimized by TiCl 4 treatment and addition of a 4.5 μm nanoparticle underlayer ( Figure S2e) since it shows the best photovoltaic performance. Consequently, as shown in Figure 6a and Table 4, the photocurrent increased to 18.97 mA cm −2 , and a PCE value of 10.20% was obtained.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the past two decades, the I 3 − /I − redox mediator has been the most widely used liquid electrolyte in DSSCs inasmuch as its long-term stability, fast dye regeneration, and slow recombination between generated electrons in TiO 2 and tri-iodide. 20 44 synthesized TiO 2 beads with controllable surface and pore size, and investigated the effect of pore size on the performance of DSSCs using N719 dye as sensitizer and I 3 − /I − redox as electrolyte, whereas, in their work, the pore and crystal size were controlled in a relatively wide range (pore size 14−22.6 nm; crystal size 12−16 nm). Finally, in a comparison with P25 paste, the optimized TiO 2 beads spheres shows superior photovoltaic property, and an efficiency of 7.2% was obtained.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fine Tuning of Nanocrystal and Pore Sizes of TiO₂ Submicrospheres toward High Performance Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Ding

et al. 2015

ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces

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In general, the properties and performance of mesoporous TiO2 are greatly dependent on its crystal size, crystallinity, porosity, surface area, and morphology; in this regard, design and fine-tuning the crystal and pore sizes of the TiO2 submicrospheres and investigating the effect of these factors on the properties and photoelectric performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) is essential. In this work, uniform TiO2 submicrospheres were synthesized by a two-step procedure containing hydrolysis and solvothermal process. The crystal and pore sizes of the TiO2 submicrospheres were fine-tuned and controlled in a narrow range by adjusting the quantity of NH4OH during the solvothermal process. The effect of crystal and pore size of TiO2 submicrosphere on the performance of the DSSCs and their properties including dye-loading capacity, light scattering effect, power conversion efficiency (PCE), incident photon-to-electron conversion efficiencies (IPCEs), and electron recombination were compared and analyzed. The results show that increasing pore size plays a more significant role in improving the dye-loading capacity and PCE than increasing surface area, and an overall PCE value of 8.62% was obtained for the device with a 7.0 μm film thickness based on the TiO2 submicrospheres treated with 0.6 mL of NH4OH. Finally, the best TiO2 submicrosphere based photoanode film was optimized by TiCl4 treatment, and increasing film thickness and a remarkable PCE up to 11.11% were achieved.

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TiO2 nanocrystalline layer as a bridge linking TiO2 sub-microspheres layer and substrates for high-efficiency dye-sensitized solar cells

Cited by 33 publications

References 42 publications

TiO₂ Microspheres with Controllable Surface Area and Porosity for Enhanced Light Harvesting and Electrolyte Diffusion in Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells

TiO₂ Microspheres with Controllable Surface Area and Porosity for Enhanced Light Harvesting and Electrolyte Diffusion in Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells

Mesoporous TiO2 Yolk-Shell Microspheres for Dye-sensitized Solar Cells with a High Efficiency Exceeding 11%

Fine Tuning of Nanocrystal and Pore Sizes of TiO₂ Submicrospheres toward High Performance Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

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TiO2 nanocrystalline layer as a bridge linking TiO2 sub-microspheres layer and substrates for high-efficiency dye-sensitized solar cells

Cited by 33 publications

References 42 publications

TiO2 Microspheres with Controllable Surface Area and Porosity for Enhanced Light Harvesting and Electrolyte Diffusion in Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells

TiO2 Microspheres with Controllable Surface Area and Porosity for Enhanced Light Harvesting and Electrolyte Diffusion in Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells

Mesoporous TiO2 Yolk-Shell Microspheres for Dye-sensitized Solar Cells with a High Efficiency Exceeding 11%

Fine Tuning of Nanocrystal and Pore Sizes of TiO2 Submicrospheres toward High Performance Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

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Product

Resources

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TiO₂ Microspheres with Controllable Surface Area and Porosity for Enhanced Light Harvesting and Electrolyte Diffusion in Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells

TiO₂ Microspheres with Controllable Surface Area and Porosity for Enhanced Light Harvesting and Electrolyte Diffusion in Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells

Fine Tuning of Nanocrystal and Pore Sizes of TiO₂ Submicrospheres toward High Performance Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells