title: Enhanced photovoltaic properties in dye sensitized solar cells by surface treatment of SnO2 photoanodes.
abstract: We report the fabrication and testing of dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC) based on tin oxide (SnO2) particles of average size ~20 nm. Fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) conducting glass substrates were treated with TiOx or TiCl4 precursor solutions to create a blocking layer before tape casting the SnO2 mesoporous anode. In addition, SnO2 photoelectrodes were treated with the same precursor solutions to deposit a TiO2 passivating layer covering the SnO2 particles. We found that the modification enhances the short circuit current, open-circuit voltage and fill factor, leading to nearly 2-fold increase in power conversion efficiency, from 1.48% without any treatment, to 2.85% achieved with TiCl4 treatment. The superior photovoltaic performance of the DSSCs assembled with modified photoanode is attributed to enhanced electron lifetime and suppression of electron recombination to the electrolyte, as confirmed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) carried out under dark condition. These results indicate that modification of the FTO and SnO2 anode by titania can play a major role in maximizing the photo conversion efficiency.
authors.affiliation: Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique-Énergie, Matériaux et Télécommunications, Université du Québec, Varennes, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Kaustubh
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Basu
authors.affiliation: Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique-Énergie, Matériaux et Télécommunications, Université du Québec, Varennes, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Benetti
authors.affiliation: Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique-Énergie, Matériaux et Télécommunications, Université du Québec, Varennes, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Haiguang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique-Énergie, Matériaux et Télécommunications, Université du Québec, Varennes, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique-Énergie, Matériaux et Télécommunications, Université du Québec, Varennes, QC, Canada.|Centre for Self-Assembled Chemical Structures, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Fiorenzo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vetrone
authors.affiliation: Department of Engineering Sciences and Mathematics, Luleå University of Technology, 971 98, Luleå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vomiero
authors.affiliation: Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique-Énergie, Matériaux et Télécommunications, Université du Québec, Varennes, QC, Canada.|Institute for Fundamental and Frontier Science, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, P.R. China.|Centre for Self-Assembled Chemical Structures, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rosei