Synthesis and Characterization of Dye-sensitized Solar Cell Using Photoanode of TiO2 Nanoparticles/Ti-Mesh Electrode

The photoanode of a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) utilizing Ti-mesh electrode is fabricated for high-efficiency, low-cost solar cell application. Ti-mesh electrode replaces transparent conducting layer (TCO). The TCOless DSC is composed of a glass/dye sensitized TiO2 layer/Ti-mesh electrode/electrolyte/metal counter electrode. The Ti-mesh electrode with high conductivity can collect electrons from the TiO2 layer and allows the ionic diffusion of I−/I3 − through the mesh hole. Thin Ti-mesh(≈40 μm in thickness) electrode material is processed using the rapid prototype method. Both the photocurrent (6.02 mA/cm2) and fill factor (0.303) are low, and these can be further improved by controlling the pore size and thickness of the mesh, and the contact between the TiO2 particles and the Ti-mesh metal, respectively.