Two-Step Sol−Gel Method-Based TiO2 Nanoparticles with Uniform Morphology and Size for Efficient Photo-Energy Conversion Devices

By Sangwook Lee, I. Cho, Ji Hae Lee, Dong Hoe Kim, Dong-Wook Kim, J. Y. Kim, Hyunho Shin, Jung‐Kun Lee, H. Jung, N. Park and 3 more. 2010

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The performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) consisting of anatase TiO2 nanoparticles that were synthesized via a two-step sol−gel process was investigated using electron transport and optical characterizations. Spherical nanoparticles with the average diameter of 20 nm, elongated nanorods with an aspect ratio (AR) of 5, and nanowires with AR = 10 were synthesized. The synthesized nanoparticles possess narrow size distribution, high crystallinity, and negligible surface defects and residual organics, which is very suitable for achieving highly efficient photovoltaic devices. The effect of particle size distribution on the performance of DSSC was characterized by comparing the synthesized TiO2 nanoparticles and commercial TiO2 nanoparticles (P25). In comparison with P25, the two-step sol−gel-grown nanoparticles significantly improved the photovoltaic conversion efficiency by 32.5%, because of a larger specific surface area, higher electrolyte penetration ability, and lower optical reflectance. The...

Subfields: Materials Chemistry, Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/098bdc9c5a5734f0dc8cfaa094aa347db17de1cd