Preparation of TiO2 particles and their applications in the light scattering layer of a dye-sensitized solar cell

Chuen-Shii Chou, Ming-Geng Guo, Kuan-Hung Liu and Yi-Siang Chen

Applied Energy, 2012, vol. 92, issue C, 224-233

Abstract: This study investigates the applicability of a hybrid TiO2 electrode (or a working electrode with a light scattering layer) in a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). Microcrystalline TiO2 particles, synthesized by the simple sol–gel method using TiCl4 ethanol solution as a precursor, were used to prepare a light scattering layer of the working electrode (or a hybrid TiO2 electrode), and the properties of these microcrystalline TiO2 particles were measured. This electrode was then immersed in a solution of N-719 (Ruthenium) dye at a temperature of 70°C for 6h. Finally, the DSSC was assembled, and the short-circuit photocurrent, the open-circuit photovoltage, and the power conversion efficiency of DSSC were measured using an I–V measurement system. The effect of the average size of TiO2 particles synthesized by the sol–gel method on the power conversion efficiency of a DSSC was also examined. Most importantly, this study shows that the power conversion efficiency of the DSSC with a hybrid TiO2 electrode (7.02%), which consisted of 50% TiO2 particles (P-25) and 50% TiO2 particles with an average size of 268.7nm, substantially exceeds that of the conventional DSSC with a TiO2 (P-25) electrode (5.16%) due to the effect of the light scattering in the DSSC.

Keywords: Dye-sensitized solar cell; Light scattering layer; Sol–gel method; Power conversion efficiency (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (13)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261911006921
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:appene:v:92:y:2012:i:c:p:224-233

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/405891/bibliographic
http://www.elsevier. ... 405891/bibliographic

DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2011.10.038

Access Statistics for this article

Applied Energy is currently edited by J. Yan

More articles in Applied Energy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().