Issue 23, 2012

Improved photovoltaic performance of dye-sensitized solar cells with modified self-assembling highly ordered mesoporous TiO2 photoanodes

Abstract

Strategies for improving the photovoltaic performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are proposed by modifying highly transparent and highly ordered multilayer mesoporous TiO2 photoanodes through nitrogen-doping and top-coating with a light-scattering layer. The mesoporous TiO2 photoanodes were fabricated by an evaporation-induced self-assembly method. In regard to the modification methods, the light-scattering layer as a top-coating was proved to be superior to nitrogen-doping in enhancing not only the power conversion efficiency but also the fill factor of DSSCs. The optimized bifunctional photoanode consisted of a 30-layer mesoporous TiO2 thin film (4.15 μm) and a Degussa P25 light-scattering top-layer (4 μm), which gives rise to a ∼200% higher cell efficiency than for unmodified cells and a fill factor of 0.72. These advantages are attributed to its higher dye adsorption, better light scattering, and faster photon–electron transport. Such a photoanode configuration provides an efficient way to enhance the energy conversion efficiency of DSSCs.

Graphical abstract: Improved photovoltaic performance of dye-sensitized solar cells with modified self-assembling highly ordered mesoporous TiO2 photoanodes

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
03 Feb 2012
Accepted
02 Apr 2012
First published
13 Apr 2012

J. Mater. Chem., 2012,22, 11711-11719

Improved photovoltaic performance of dye-sensitized solar cells with modified self-assembling highly ordered mesoporous TiO2 photoanodes

Z. Sun, J. H. Kim, Y. Zhao, F. Bijarbooneh, V. Malgras and S. X. Dou, J. Mater. Chem., 2012, 22, 11711 DOI: 10.1039/C2JM30660C

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