Review: Low Temperature Sintering of TiO2 for Dye Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs) Fabrication on Flexible Substrates

Abstract

This article discusses the most recent developments in the manufacture of flexible dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), with a focus on the use of flexible plastic substrates instead of rigid glass substrates. The temperature restriction of the substrate in generating TiO2 nanoparticles is a key problem for creating DSSCs on plastic substrates. Ball-milling, acid/water treatments, chemical vapor deposition, and electrophoretic deposition, as well as chemical and mechanical film processing methods such as chemical sintering, hydrothermal treatment, microwave irradiation, and various compression techniques, are all discussed here. It also includes research on novel flexible counter electrode manufacturing processes and recently produced new materials that are particularly beneficial for flexible DSSCs. Finally, the progress and possibilities of large-scale flexible DSSC module fabrication, as well as their endurance, are reviewed.