Organic-free Anatase TiO₂ Paste for Efficient Plastic Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells and Low Temperature Processed Perovskite Solar Cells.
Recently, the synthesis of fine TiO2 paste with organic-free binder emerged as an indispensable technique for plastic photovoltaics due to the low temperature processing requirement. In this study, pure anatase TiO2 nanoparticles and organic-free TiO2-sol were successfully synthesized individually in organic-free solution. By mixing the pure anatase TiO2 with the newly developed TiO2-sol binder, mechanically robust and well-interconnected TiO2 films were prepared via UV-irradiation at low temperature for applications in plastic dye-sensitized solar cells (p-DSSCs). The structural, electrical, and photovoltaic properties of the films as well as the devices were investigated by various techniques. The dye-loading amount of the obtained film is 2.6 times that of the P25 electrodes. As revealed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results, the film derived from the as-prepared anatase TiO2 paste (A-TiO2) exhibits much smaller charge transport resistance and lower electron recombination rate than the P25 film, while the introduction of TiO2-sol into the paste can further remarkably decrease the resistance of the produced film (AS-TiO2). The p-DSSCs employing AS-TiO2 photoanode yield a high efficiency up to 7.51%, which is 86% higher than the P25 reference cells and also 31% higher than the A-TiO2 cell. As a proof of concept, the newly developed AS-TiO2 paste was also applied to low temperature processed perovskite solar cells (PSCs), and a promising high efficiency up to 9.95% was achieved.
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology , Guangzhou 510640, China.|The Key Laboratory of Energy-Efficient Functional Ceramics and Applied Technology of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou Redsun Gas Applications Co., LTD, Guangzhou 510435, China.|Department of Applied Physics and Materials Research Center, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University , Hong Kong, China.
Nianqing
N
Fu
Department of Applied Physics and Materials Research Center, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University , Hong Kong, China.
Chun
C
Huang
Department of Applied Physics and Materials Research Center, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University , Hong Kong, China.
Yan
Y
Liu
Department of Applied Physics and Materials Research Center, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University , Hong Kong, China.
Xing
X
Li
Department of Applied Physics and Materials Research Center, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University , Hong Kong, China.
Wei
W
Lu
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University , Hong Kong, China.
Limin
L
Zhou
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology , Guangzhou 510640, China.
Feng
F
Peng
The Key Laboratory of Energy-Efficient Functional Ceramics and Applied Technology of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou Redsun Gas Applications Co., LTD, Guangzhou 510435, China.
Yanchun
Y
Liu
Department of Applied Physics and Materials Research Center, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University , Hong Kong, China.
Haitao
H
Huang
TiO2-sol; anatase TiO2; low temperature; organic-free; perovskite solar cells; plastic dye-sensitized solar cells