Highly efficient dye-sensitized solar cell developed by using sheet like TiO2 prepared by a novel route

A novel and facile route has been developed for preparing TiO2 nanopowder with crystalline anatase phase. This titanium dioxide powder prepared by using diethylamine (DEA) as capping agent, (TiO2)DEA, has been characterized for its crystalline structure, surface morphology, and optical property by XRD, SEM, and absorption spectrum respectively. SEM micrograph of (TiO2)DEA nano-powder revealed sheet like structure, XRD showed the anatase crystalline form and absorption spectrum provided the optical band gap of the prepared material as Eg ≈ 3.27 eV. This (TiO2)DEA nanopowder was used to prepare its thin film photoelectrode using doctor's blade method. The solar cell constructed with this semiconductor electrode sensitized by N719 provided short circuit photocurrent (Jsc) 7.28 mA cm−2, open circuit potential (Voc) 750 mV, fill factor (FF) 0.74 and overall conversion efficiency (η) 4.0% under illumination with light of 100 mW cm−2 intensity. The maximum IPCE obtained with such cell was 50%. These significantly high values of cell parameters have proven that the method developed during present work provided a very good quality (TiO2)DEA powder for its application in dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). For comparison sake, the TiO2 powder was also prepared using ammonia, instead of DEA, as capping agent keeping all other experimental conditions identical. When this (TiO2)am powder was used as photoanode and sensitized by N719, the cell outputs achieved were Jsc = 6.20 mA cm−2, Voc = 640 mV, FF = 0.72 and η = 2.86% under illumination with light of 100 mW cm−2 intensity. The maximum IPCE obtained with such cell was 42%. This has clearly established that the quality of (TiO2)DEA was superior than (TiO2)am for its use as photoanode material in DSSC.

► TiO2 with sheet like structure and anatase phase prepared by a novel route.
► Obtained high photocurrent and high efficiency using sheet like TiO2 photoanode.
► In DSSC configuration an IPCE = 50% was obtained at 540 nm.