Synthesis of the mesoporous TiO2 films and their application to dye-sensitized solar cells

Abstract

Mesoporous titania films with worm-like structure have been fabricated on the FTO substrates by evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) process using triblock copolymer as a structure-directing agent. The prepared mesoporous films were applied to the electrode material in the dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). SAXRD patterns and TEM images show that the mesoporous structure was thermally stable at least up to 450 °C. The DSSC fabricated from these mesoporous films showed 1.7 times of photovoltaic current (J sc ) than those from the nanocrystalline films in the same thickness. It is deduced that the high J sc is caused by the efficient transport of electrons due to far less grain boundaries in the mesoporous TiO 2 structure, and by the fast diffusion of electrolytes with the high uniformity in the mesopore size.