Authors
Abstract
In this study, TiO2 nanocrystals were prepared by sol-gel method through the hydrolysis of the titanium tetraisopropoxide in n-heptan solution. The beneficial role of n-heptan solvent was the dilution of the reacting precursors. This could consequently create smaller TiO2 nanocrystals and a better powder effective area. The anatase phase TiO2 nanopowder was achieved by performing an annealing process at 450 ˚C for 1h. Then, the TiO2 nanocrystals were added to an aqueous solution of polyethylene glycol with suitable concentration, as a pastiness factor, to form a viscous TiO2 paste . Finally the prepared paste was deposited on glass FTO substrates by standard doctor blade method and the photoanode of the dye sensitized solar cells was prepared.Then other steps, consisting of dye adsorption, preparation of platinum counter electrode and injection of electrolyte were performed. The results demonstrated that the energy conversion efficiency was maximum for the cell with 15 μm photoanode thickness. The photovoltaic parameters of this cell were measured as 12.44 mA/cm2 , 655 mV, 0.55 and 4.4 % for the Jsc, Voc, FF and efficiency, respectively.
Keywords
2. B O’Regan and M Gratzel, Nature 353 (1991) 737.
3. W Zhang, R Zho, B Liu, and S Ramakrishna, Appl. Energy 90 (2012) 305-8.
4. Y Liu, H wang, and W chen, Appl. Energy 87 (2010) 436.
5. S Ito, T N Murakami, P Comte, P Liska, M K Nazeeruddin, and M Grätzel, Thin Solid Films 16 (2008) 4613.
6. M Grätzel, Photochemistry Reviews 4 (2003) 145.
7. A V Murugan and V Ravi, Mater .Letters (2006) 479.
8. S Yang, Y Li, Y Guo, H Xu, and Z Wang, Mater. Chem. Phys. (2002) 501.
9. Y Li, T J White, and S H Lim, Solid State Chem. 177 (2004) 1372.
10. S D Mo and W Y Ching, Phys. Rev. B 51 (1995) 13023.
11. J Xu, Journal of Colloid and Interfaces Science 19 (2008) 29.
12. W Zhang, R Zho, B Liu, and S Ramakrishna, Appl. Energy 90 (2012) 305.
13. Y Liu, H wang, and W chen, Appl. Energy 87 (2010) 436.
14. S Ito, T N Murakami, P Comte, P Liska, M K Nazeeruddin, and M Grätzel, Thin Solid Films 16 (2008) 4613.
15. M Grätzel, Photochemistry Reviews 4 (2003) 145.
16. M A Khan et al., Solar Energy 84 (2010) 2195.
17. X DongMei and F S Jing, Chinese Science Bulletin 52 (2007) 2481.
18. N Kaloper and M Kaplighat, Phys. Rev. D 68 (2003) 123522.
)