Fabrication of Nanocrystalline TiO2 Films by Aerosol Deposition Method for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

This work present a low resistance dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) based on metal substrates. Different kinds of metal meshes are used to fabricate nanocrystalline TiO(2) electrode and counter-electrode. The nanoporous TiO(2) thin films were fabricated via an aerosol deposition method. The TiO(2) colloid was produced by dissolving P25 powder in deionized (DI) water and atomized using an ultrasonic nebulizer. The flexible electrodes can be sintered under 450-550 degrees C and exhibit high-temperature sinterability. The tuning of TiO(2) film thickness coated on metal mesh towards optimization of solar energy conversion efficiency had been investigated. Experimental results show that the excellent electric conductivities improve the fill factor and conversion efficiency for the large-size DSSCs due to the reduced internal resistance of the cell. These flexible metal substrates are a promising approach especially from the viewpoint of large-scale, cost effective industrial manufacturing of solar cells.