Abstract
The aim of this study is to fabricate titanium oxide (TiO2) anode in inverse opal structure for dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) applications via combined electrophoretic self-assembly (EPSA) and sol-gel processes. The polystyrene (PS) microspheres of 270 nm size were produced by emulsion-free polymerization. A stable colloid of PS microspheres in water-ethanol solvent was used to manufacture the 3-D photonic crystal template with periodic ordered opal structure onto the surface of indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass substrate by EPSA. The titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) sol precursor in mixture of ethanol and ethanol glycol was impregnated to fill up the voids inside PS template. The polycondensation of TiO2 was completed by absorption of ambient moisture. Further annealing at 450oC for 1 hr of samples was carried out for removal of PS microspheres and formation of TiO2 photonic crystal. The microstructure, composition, and crystalline phase analysis of obtained TiO2 in inverse opal structure were examined by SEM, EDS, and XRD.
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