The preparation of TiO 2 thick film anodes for photoelectrochemical solar cells

Abstract

The use of thick film screen printing technology was investigated as a method of fabricating inexpensive TiO 2 anodes for applications in photoelectrochemical (PEC) solar cells. The thick film pastes were prepared from TiO 2 powders of both anatase and rutile structures, combined with varying amounts of a glass binder (0–25%) and dispersed in a liquid organic vehicle. The films were screen-printed and fired on metallized alumina substrates. The as-fired films were then thermally reduced in NH 3 to obtain a film resistivity of approximately 10 ω-cm. It was found that the use of a glass binder in these films resulted in poor PEC behaviour. However, good film adhesion can be achieved by using fritless anatase-based thick films and making use of the enhancement of the sintering process due to the anatase-rutile phase transformation during firing of these films at temperatures greater than 800°C. This investigation has demonstrated the potential use of thick film technology as a practical, low cost method for the fabrication of TiO 2 photoanodes in PEC solar cells.