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High-stability Ti4+ precursor for the TiO2 compact layer of dye-sensitized solar cells.
- Source :
-
Applied Surface Science . Nov2015, Vol. 356, p587-592. 6p. - Publication Year :
- 2015
-
Abstract
- A compact layer (blocking layer) can effectively block the direct contact between the fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrate and electrolyte in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The TiCl 4 hydrolysis has been widely adopted for preparing the TiO 2 compact layer (H-TiO 2 ). However, the TiCl 4 aqueous solution is unstable for its high reactivity. To improve the chemical stability of TiCl 4 aqueous solution, the Ti 4+ is encapsulated by the polymer, polyethyleneimine (PEI). Experimentals show that the Ti-PEI precursor solution can maintain their initial performances for several months. The resulting TiO 2 film (P-TiO 2 ) grown by the Ti-PEI precursor is dense, smooth and uniform without any visible and detectable cracks or voids. The P-TiO 2 compact layer is even denser than the H-TiO 2 compact layer, suggesting reducing the electron recombination and prolonging the electron lifetime in dye-sensitized solar cells. Indeed, the electron lifetime of the DSSC based on the P-TiO 2 is 13.15 ms, which is longer than the 10.83 ms based on H-TiO 2 . Meanwhile, the power conversion efficiency of the DSSC based on P-TiO 2 compact film is about 12.5% higher than that based on H-TiO 2 . Therefore, this encapsulation technology can not only improve the stability of the metal ions solution but also meet a large-scale fabrication demand of the TiO 2 compact layer in future DSSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 01694332
- Volume :
- 356
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Applied Surface Science
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 111141794
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2015.08.050