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A single layer deposition of Li-doped mesoporous TiO2beads for low-cost and efficient dye-sensitized solar cells

Golvari, P ; Sharif University of Technology | 2021

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  1. Type of Document: Article
  2. DOI: 10.1039/d0nj04051g
  3. Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry , 2021
  4. Abstract:
  5. Herein, we report a new strategy for improving the efficiency and reducing the fabrication cost of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) by elimination of the three- or four-fold layer deposition of TiO2. This is performed by replacing a single layer deposition of mesoporous TiO2 beads, with sub-micrometer size, high surface area and tunable pore size, synthesized by a combination of sol-gel and solvothermal methods. Furthermore, superior electronic properties gained by a reduction in electronic trap states are achieved through doping of pristine TiO2 beads with lithium. The beads have a spherical shape with monodispersed texture consisting of anatase-TiO2 nanocrystals and ultra-fine pores. The outstanding light scattering and harvesting characteristics of the beads emerge from a combination of tailored morphology and crystal structures. These have resulted in a 40% increase in solar to electric power conversion efficiency, for a single spin-coated film without an additional scattering layer and pre- and post-treatment with TiCl4 solution, compared to the reference nanoparticulate TiO2 device. © The Royal Society of Chemistry and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
  6. Keywords:
  7. Chlorine compounds ; Conversion efficiency ; Costs ; Deposition ; Efficiency ; Electronic properties ; Oxide minerals ; Semiconductor doping ; Sol-gels ; Solar power plants ; Textures ; Titanium dioxide ; Electronic traps ; Fabrication cost ; High surface area ; Layer deposition ; Morphology and crystal structures ; Nano particulates ; Single-layer deposition ; Solvothermal method ; Dye-sensitized solar cells ; Dye ; Lithium ; Nanocrystal ; Titanium dioxide nanoparticle ; Titanium tetrachloride ; Controlled study ; Crystal structure ; Dispersion ; Light scattering ; Morphology ; Nanofabrication ; Particle size ; Pore size ; Sol-gel ; Spin coating ; Surface area ; Synthesis
  8. Source: New Journal of Chemistry ; Volume 45, Issue 5 , 2021 , Pages 2470-2477 ; 11440546 (ISSN)
  9. URL: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2021/NJ/D0NJ04051G