2-Ethyl-1-hexanol based screen-printed titania thin films for dye-sensitized solar cells

Nanocrystalline titania thin films were prepared by screen printing in order to efficiently control and optimize the main step of the dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) fabrication process. Different compositions of nanocrystalline titanium dioxide screen-printing pastes are described, based on 2-ethyl-1-hexanol solvent and commercial Degussa P25 TiO2. The rheological properties of the prepared pastes are presented as the crucial parameter of the deposition procedure. The produced titania thin films are extensively characterized by means of spectroscopy (Raman, XRD) and microscopy (SEM, AFM). The performance (induced photon-to-current efficiency-IPCE% and overall energy conversion efficiency-η%) of the corresponding DSSCs is also reported.