Fabrication of a multi-scale nanostructure of TiO(2) for application in dye-sensitized solar cells

A colloidoscope of colloid-based porous materials and their uses

Colloids assemble into a variety of bioinspired structures for applications including optics, wetting, sensing, catalysis, and electrodes.

Organic dye-sensitized sponge-like TiO₂ photoanode for dye-sensitized solar cells

Light harvesting inside a solar cell is crucial for overall performance. Increasing the optical path of a photon through the delicate design of photoanode morphology can increase the light absorbance. The marine sponge-like photoanode is facilely constructed and assembled into a solar cell, using an organic D-A-π-A-type dye with wide-spectrum response as the sensitizer. The light scattering derived from the large porous cavities in the photoanode enhances the improved light absorbance of the dye molecules, especially in the long-wavelength region, and therefore improves the cell efficiency. Synergistically engineering the photoanode morphology and adopting matchable dye maximized the light energy conversion efficiency in this study, and a maximal conversion efficiency of 5.02% was achieved.

Graphene-embedded 3D TiO2 inverse opal electrodes for highly efficient dye-sensitized solar cells: morphological characteristics and photocurrent enhancement

We demonstrated the preparation of graphene-embedded 3D inverse opal electrodes for use in DSSCs. The graphene was incorporated locally into the top layers of the inverse opal structures and was embedded into the TiO2 matrix via post-treatment of the TiO2 precursors. DSSCs comprising the bare and 1-5 wt% graphene-incorporated TiO2 inverse opal electrodes were compared. We observed that the local arrangement of graphene sheets effectively enhanced electron transport without significantly reducing light harvesting by the dye molecules. A high efficiency of 7.5% was achieved in DSSCs prepared with the 3 wt% graphene-incorporated TiO2 inverse opal electrodes, constituting a 50% increase over the efficiencies of DSSCs prepared without graphene. The increase in efficiency was mainly attributed to an increase in J(SC), as determined by the photovoltaic parameters and the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis.

Enhanced photovoltaic properties of Nb₂O₅-coated TiO₂ 3D ordered porous electrodes in dye-sensitized solar cells

This paper describes the use of Nb₂O₅-coated TiO₂ 3D ordered porous electrodes in dye-sensitized solar cells. We employed bilayer inverse opal structures as a backbone of 3D porous structures, and the number of Nb₂O₅ coatings was controlled, determining the concentration of Nb₂O₅ coating. XPS measurements confirmed the formation of Nb₂O₅. The uniformity of the Nb₂O₅ coating was characterized by elemental mapping using SEM and TEM measurements. Photovoltaic measurement on dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) that incorporated Nb₂O₅/TiO₂ inverse opal electrodes yielded a maximum efficiency of 7.23% for a 3.3 wt % Nb₂O₅ coating on a TiO₂ IO structure. The Nb₂O₅ significantly increased the short-circuit current density (J(SC)). Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was used to measure the J(SC), revealing an enhanced electron injection upon deposition of the Nb₂O₅ coating.

Hierarchical twin-scale inverse opal TiO2 electrodes for dye-sensitized solar cells

We describe the preparation of three-dimensional hierarchical twin-scale inverse opal (ts-IO) electrodes for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The ts-IO TiO(2) structure was obtained from a template fabricated via the assembly of mesoscale colloidal particles (40-80 nm in diameter) in the confined geometry of a macroporous IO structure. The photovoltaic properties of ts-IO electrodes were optimized by varying the layer thickness or the size of mesopores in the mesoscale colloidal assembly. Electron transport was investigated using impedance spectroscopy. The result showed that due to the competing effects of recombination and dye adsorption, the maximum efficiency was observed at an electrode thickness of 12 μm. The electrodes of smaller mesopores diameters yielded the higher photocurrent density due to the decrease in the electron transport resistance at the TiO(2)/dye interface. A maximum efficiency of 6.90% was obtained using an electrode 12 μm thick and a mesopore diameter of 35 nm.

Enhanced optical absorption of dye-sensitized solar cells with microcavity-embedded TiO2 photoanodes

This paper reports the enhanced performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) with microcavity-embedded nanoporous TiO2 photoanodes. For DSSCs with photoanodes composed of a stack TiO2 sublayers with microcavity concentrations arranged from low to high on the light illumination path, the short-circuit current density and the conversion efficiency were improved. A pronounced increase in optical absorption and incident monochromatic photon-to-current conversion efficiency in the long-wavelength region indicated that the enhancement of cell performance was due to the multiple scattering of light by the microcavities and the light confinement by the stack of TiO2 sublayers with a high-to-low effective index of refraction.

Facile synthesis of TiO2 inverse opal electrodes for dye-sensitized solar cells

Engineering of TiO(2) electrode layers is critical to guaranteeing the photoconversion efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Recently, a novel approach has been introduced for producing TiO(2) electrodes using the inverted structures of colloidal crystals. This paper describes a facile route to producing ordered macroporous electrodes from colloidal crystal templates for DSSCs. Using concentrated colloids dispersed in a volatile medium, the colloidal crystal templates were obtained within a few minutes, and the thickness of the template was easily controlled by changing the quantity of colloidal solution deposited. Here, the effects of the structural properties of the inverse opal TiO(2) electrodes on the photovoltaic parameters of DSSCs were investigated. The photovoltaic parameters were measured as a function of pore ordering and electrode film thickness. Moreover, DSSC applications that used either liquid or viscous polymer electrolyte solutions were investigated to reveal the effects of pore size on performance of an inverse opal TiO(2) electrode.