Photoelectrochemical studies of dye-sensitized polycrystalline titanium oxide thin films prepared by sputtering

Titanium oxide thin films were prepared by reactive DC magnetron sputtering of Ti in O-2 + Ar onto SnO2:F coated glass. A dye consisting of Cis-dithiocyanato-N-bis(2,2'-bipyridyl-4,4'-dicarboxylic acid) ruthenium (II) was incorporated by dipping the films into a solution of the dye in ethanol. The amount of dye incorporation was found to be highly dependent on the microstructure and the thickness of the film, as apparent from optical measurements. Incident photon-to-current efficiency was studied as a function of sputtering parameters using a three-electrode cell with an electrolyte consisting of an aqueous 0.1 M KI solution purged with nitrogen as well as using a two-electrode system with acetonitrile with a Lil/I-2 solution as the electrolyte. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.