High-performance dye-sensitized solar cell using dimensionally controlled titania synthesized at sub-zero temperatures

Abstract

The subject of the current study is a concoct of anatase and rutile mixed phase titania synthesized at −40 °C and −10 °C. At these sub-zero temperatures, highly crystalline, phase-oriented nanostructured titania were formed. At −40 °C, nanocrystals of TiO₂ consist of the anatase phase while nanorods dominated by the rutile phase form at −10 °C. These samples are remarkable photoanode materials with excellent photon scattering ability in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). On performance optimization of DSSCs, a composition of 0.5 wt% TiO₂ (prepared at −40 °C) and P25 improved the photon harvesting by providing a large number of sites for interaction, resulting in a high photocurrent of 18.46 mA cm⁻² and 8.6% photoconversion efficiency.