A simple recipe for an efficient TiO2 nanofiber-based dye-sensitized solar cell

Development of highly efficient dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) with good photovoltaic parameters is an active research area of current global interest. In this article, we provide a simple recipe for the fabrication of electrospun TiO2 nanorod-based efficient dye-sensitized solar cell using a Pechini-type sol. The Pechini-type sol of TiO2 nanofibers produces a highly porous and compact layer of TiO2 upon doctor-blading and sintering without the need for an adhesion and scattering layers or TiCl4 treatment. The best nanofiber DSSCs with an area of ∼0.28 cm2 shows an efficiency of ∼4.2% under standard test conditions (100 mW/cm2, 25 °C and AM1.5 G) and an incident photon-to-electron conversion efficiency (IPCE) of ∼50%. Impedance measurements show lower charge transfer resistance that improved the fill factor. We believe that simple approaches such as the present one to develop nanofiber DSSCs would open up enormous possibilities in effective harvesting of solar energy for commercial applications, considering the fact that electrospinning is a cost-effective method for the mass scale production of nanofibers and nanorods.

A simple method of fabricating an efficient dye-sensitized solar cell using a Pechini-type sol of electrospun TiO2 nanorods..Figure optionsDownload high-quality image (43 K)Download as PowerPoint slideResearch highlights
► A simple protocol for the fabrication of electrospun TiO2 nanofiber/nanorod-based efficient DSSCs.
► TiO2 paste of appropriate rheology using a Pechini-type sol.
► Efficiency of 4.2% without any adhesion layer, hole-blocking and scattering layers or TiCl4 treatment.
► A step towards scalability of DSSCs.