Preparation of TiO 2/dye composite particles and their applications in dye-sensitized solar cell

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In this study a sandwich TiO 2 thin-film electrode for a dye-sensitized solar cell was designed and fabricated. It contained a nanocrystalline TiO 2 layer that was sandwiched between an ITO (indium tin oxide) substrate and a layer of TiO 2/dye composite particles. Dry particle coating was performed to coat powdered CuPc dye (copper phthalocyanine C 32H 16CuN 8) on the surface of TiO 2 powder. A nanocrystalline TiO 2 layer and a layer of TiO 2/dye composite particles were subsequently fabricated in that order on the ITO substrate. This layer of the TiO 2/dye composite particles markedly increased the short-circuit photocurrent from 0.2 μA(conventional DSSC) to 4 μA(DSSC with a layer of TiO 2/dye composite particles) because of the improved coverage of the TiO 2 surface by the powder of CuPc dye. Nevertheless, this layer of TiO 2/dye composite particles slightly increased the open-circuit photovoltage from 0.25 V (conventional DSSC) to 0.28 V (DSSC with a layer of TiO 2/dye composite particles). The effects of the mass ratio of TiO 2 to the CuPc dye and the rate of rotation of the rotating chamber on the short-circuit photocurrent were investigated. Graphical abstract This study designed and fabricated a sandwich TiO 2 thin-film electrode for a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC), which contained a nanocrystalline TiO 2 layer that was sandwiched between an ITO substrate and a layer of TiO 2/dye composite particles. This layer of TiO 2/dye composite particles markedly increases the short-circuit photocurrent from 0.2 μA(conventional DSSC) to 4 μA(DSSC with a layer of TiO 2/dye composite particles) because of the better coverage of the TiO 2 surface by the powder of CuPc dye. [Display omitted]