Preparation of TiO2/dye composite particles and their applications in dye-sensitized solar cell

In this study a sandwich TiO2 thin-film electrode for a dye-sensitized solar cell was designed and fabricated. It contained a nanocrystailine TiO2 layer that was sandwiched between an ITO (indium tin oxide) substrate and a layer of TiO2/dye composite particles. Dry particle coating was performed to coat powdered CuPc dye (copper phthalocyanine C32H16CuN8) on the surface of TiO2 powder. A nanocrystalline TiO2 layer and a layer of TiO2/dye composite particles were subsequently fabricated in that order on the ITO substrate. This layer of the TiO2/dye composite particles markedly increased the short-circuit photocurrent from 0.2 mu A(conventional DSSC) to 4 mu A(DSSC with a layer of TiO2/dye composite particles) because of the improved coverage of the TiO2 surface by the powder of CuPc dye. Nevertheless, this layer of TiO2/dye composite particles slightly increased the open-circuit photovoltage from 0.25 V (conventional DSSC) to 0.28 V (DSSC with a layer of TiO2/dye composite particles). The effects of the mass ratio of TiO2 to the CuPc dye and the rate of rotation of the rotating chamber on the short-circuit photocurrent were investigated. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.