TY - JOUR
T1 - Immobilised TiO2 Mesocrystals with Exposed {001} Facets for Efficient Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells
AU - Lei, Bingyu
AU - Robertson, Neil
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors thank Dr Aruna Ivaturi and Dr Arivazhagan Valluvar Oli for assistance with IPCE measurements in University of Strathclyde; Dr Aaron Naden for TEM measurements in the University of St. Andrews; and Dr Nicola Cayzer for help with the SEM images acquisition. B.L. gratefully acknowledges the China Scholarship Council and The University of Edinburgh for a PhD scholarship.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors. Solar RRL published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.
PY - 2022/11/1
Y1 - 2022/11/1
N2 - The immobilization of titanium dioxide is necessary for several energy and environmental applications such as dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). A two-step fabrication route has been developed in this work including a near room temperature hydrolysis reaction to produce immobilized (NH4)2TiOF4 arrays, followed by successive topotactic transformations to immobilised TiO2 mesocrystals (imcTiO2). Hierarchical mesocrystal structure has thereby been successfully introduced to immobilised TiO2 without the use of expensive equipment or complex strategies. Thanks to the features of the nano-building blocks such as high surface area and high active {001} facets; collective properties including the common orientation of nanoparticles; and strong adhesion to the substrate inherited from the immobilized (NH4)2TiOF4 precursor, the imcTiO2 possesses a high dye pickup capability and optimal electron transport ability. The average power conversion efficiency from imcTiO2 based DSSCs is comparable to devices with two layers of printed commercial TiO2 under the same sintering condition, with the balanced short circuit current densities, similar open-circuit voltages, and outstanding fill factors.
AB - The immobilization of titanium dioxide is necessary for several energy and environmental applications such as dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). A two-step fabrication route has been developed in this work including a near room temperature hydrolysis reaction to produce immobilized (NH4)2TiOF4 arrays, followed by successive topotactic transformations to immobilised TiO2 mesocrystals (imcTiO2). Hierarchical mesocrystal structure has thereby been successfully introduced to immobilised TiO2 without the use of expensive equipment or complex strategies. Thanks to the features of the nano-building blocks such as high surface area and high active {001} facets; collective properties including the common orientation of nanoparticles; and strong adhesion to the substrate inherited from the immobilized (NH4)2TiOF4 precursor, the imcTiO2 possesses a high dye pickup capability and optimal electron transport ability. The average power conversion efficiency from imcTiO2 based DSSCs is comparable to devices with two layers of printed commercial TiO2 under the same sintering condition, with the balanced short circuit current densities, similar open-circuit voltages, and outstanding fill factors.
U2 - 10.1002/solr.202200831
DO - 10.1002/solr.202200831
M3 - Article
SN - 2367-198X
SP - 2200831
JO - Solar RRL
JF - Solar RRL
ER -