title: Solid Solutions of Rare Earth Cations in Mesoporous Anatase Beads and Their Performances in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.
abstract: Solid solutions of the rare earth (RE) cations Pr(3+), Nd(3+), Sm(3+), Gd(3+), Er(3+) and Yb(3+) in anatase TiO2 have been synthesized as mesoporous beads in the concentration range 0.1-0.3% of metal atoms. The solid solutions were have been characterized by XRD, SEM, diffuse reflectance UV-Vis spectroscopy, BET and BJH surface analysis. All the solid solutions possess high specific surface areas, up to more than 100 m(2)/g. The amount of adsorbed dye in each photoanode has been determined spectrophotometrically. All the samples were tested as photoanodes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) using N719 as dye and a nonvolatile, benzonitrile based electrolyte. All the cells were have been tested by conversion efficiency (J-V), quantum efficiency (IPCE), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and dark current measurements. While lighter RE cations (Pr(3+), Nd(3+)) limit the performance of DSSCs compared to pure anatase mesoporous beads, cations from Sm(3+) onwards enhance the performance of the devices. A maximum conversion efficiency of 8.7% for Er(3+) at a concentration of 0.2% has been achieved. This is a remarkable efficiency value for a DSSC employing N719 dye without co-adsorbents and a nonvolatile electrolyte. For each RE cation the maximum performances are obtained for a concentration of 0.2% metal atoms.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cavallo
authors.affiliation: Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, 239 McCullough Building, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Salleo
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gozzi
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Di Pascasio
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, 2000 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, L1H 7L7.
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Quaranta
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Panetta
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Latini