Fabrication of hole-patterned TiO2 photoelectrodes for solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells

✍ Scribed by Jung Tae Park; Dong Kyu Roh; Rajkumar Patel; Kyung Jin Son; Won-Gun Koh; Jong Hak Kim

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2010
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 601 KB
• Volume: 56
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0013-4686
• DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2010.09.059

✦ Synopsis

We suggest a simple process to fabricate a hole-patterned TiO 2 electrode for a solid-state dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) to enhance cell performance through interfacial properties of the electrode with the electrolyte with minimum dye loading. The method involves prepatterning of SU-8 photoresist on a conducting glass, followed by the deposition of a nanocrystalline TiO 2 layer, calcination at 450 • C and characterization using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Hole-patterned TiO 2 photoelectrodes yielded better solar energy conversion efficiency per dye loading compared to a conventional non-patterned photoelectrode. For example, a 50 m hole-patterned DSSC exhibited 4.50% conversion efficiency in the solid state, which is comparable to an unpatterned flat TiO 2 photoelectrode (4.57%) however the efficiency per dye loading of the former (0.986%/g) was much greater than that of the latter (0.898%/g). The improvement was attributed to improved transmittance through the electrode as well as better interfacial properties between the electrolyte and electrode, as confirmed by UV-visible spectroscopy and electrochemical impedance (EIS) analysis.