Thickness-dependent electron transport performance of mesoporous TiO2 thin film for dye-sensitized solar cells

Anatase titania (TiO2) nanocrystals with an average size of 12 nm were synthesized by combining sol–gel method and hydrothermal crystallization technology. Mesoporous TiO2 thin film electrodes (MTTFEs) were prepared by variations in layer of screen-printed TiO2 nanocrystals pastes, and dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) based on different thickness of MTTFEs were fabricated with dye C106. Under the irradiation of 100 mW cm−2 air mass 1.5 global (AM1.5G) sunlight, the short-circuit photocurrent density (Jsc) and overall conversion efficiency (η) was improved when the thickness of MTTFEs increased from 2.1 μm to 9.8 μm, and obvious decreases of the Jsc and η were found when the film thickness was further increased over 9.8 μm. The kinetic parameters of electron transport were investigated by the transient photoelectrical and electrical impedance measurements, and then the influence of MTTFEs thickness on electron transport performance in DSCs were further discussed. The results showed that the density of states (DOS) and recombination rate (Kr) increased with the MTTFEs thickness increasing. Furthermore, when the thickness of MTTFEs was in the range of 2.1–9.8 μm, the electron lifetime (τn), the electron diffusion coefficient (Dn), and the electron diffusion length (Ln) of devices increased, but these parameters decreased gradually with the further increased thickness of MTTFEs, which influenced the electronic transport performance of DSCs.