Microwave assisted synthesis of high surface area TiO2 aerogels: A competent photoanode material for quasi-solid dye-sensitized solar cells

TiO2 aerogels are 3-dimensional interconnected network structures offer high surface area, large pores and low density. In the present work, we synthesized TiO2 aerogels by a microwave assisted sol-gel method and employed it as a photo-anode material in quasi-solid dye-sensitized solar cells (QSDSSCs). This work mainly focuses on the effect of microwave irradiation on primary TiO2 nanoparticles, the building blocks of the aerogel network. The crystallite size determined from X-ray diffraction indicates that the crystal growth was controlled, as the particle-particle attraction prevailed by the thermal effect instigated during microwave irradiation. The smaller crystals enhanced the surface area of TiO2 aerogels and the amount of dye adsorption. The porous morphology and the interconnected network structure of aerogels were ascertained by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopic (TEM) analysis. A maximum power conversion efficiency of 5.2% with a short-circuit current density of 15.18 mA/cm2 and an open circuit voltage of 0.62 V was realized by utilizing TiO2 aerogel as photoanode in QSDSSCs.