Preparation of nanostructured TiO2 photoelectrode for flexible dye-sensitized solar cell applications

Eco-friendly synthesis of core-shell structured (TiO2/Li2CO3) nanomaterials for low cost dye-sensitized solar cells

Core-shell structured TiO₂/Li₂CO₃ electrode was successfully synthesized by eco-friendly solution growth technique. TiO₂/Li₂CO₃ electrodes were characterized using X-ray Diffractometer (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and photocurrent-voltage measurements. The synthesized core-shell electrode material was sensitized with tetrabutylammonium cis-di(thiocyanato)-N,N'-bis(4-carboxylato-4'-carboxylic acid-2,2'-bipyridine)ruthenate(II) (N-719). The performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) based on N719 dye modified TiO₂/Li₂CO₃ electrodes was investigated. The effect of various shell thickness on the photovoltaic performance of the core-shell structured electrode is also investigated. We found that Li₂CO₃ shells of all thicknesses perform as inert barriers which improve open-circuit voltage (V_oc) of the DSCs. The energy conversion efficiency was greatly dependent on the thickness of Li₂CO₃ on TiO₂ film, and the highest efficiency of 3.7% was achieved at the optimum Li₂CO₃ shell layer.