Effect of MnTiO3 surface treatment on the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells

We investigate the effect of MnTiO3 surface treatment on the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The MnTiO3-treated TiO2 sample reveals a smoother surface with fewer cracks than the bare TiO2 sample. It is shown that the MnTiO3 is an amorphous layer (∼2 nm thick). The MnTiO3-treated TiO2 sample exhibits higher absorbance across the wavelength region of 450–800 nm than the bare TiO2 sample. The MnTiO3-treated sample gives the higher point of zero charge than the bare sample. Measurements show that the open-circuit voltage and the short circuit current are 0.64 and 0.67 V and 12.3 and 15.7 mA/cm2 for DSSCs with the bare and MnTiO3-treated TiO2 electrodes, respectively. The MnTiO3 treatment improves the cell efficiency by about 25%.

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► Nanoporous TiO2 electrodes were surface-treated with MnTiO3.
► MnTiO3 gives higher conduction band edge and surface pH than TiO2.
► MnTiO3-treated TiO2 electrode reveals higher absorbance than bare TiO2 electrode.
► MnTiO3-treated DSSCs show 25% higher cell efficiency than DSSCs with the bare TiO2.