Dye-sensitized solar cell with photoanode made with polystyrene-ball- embedded TiO2 pastes

We report the effect of varying the concentration of polystyrene (PS) balls embedded in TiO2 paste during the fabrication of TiO2 photoanodes on the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). We fabricated porous photoanodes using TiO2 pastes mixed with various concentrations of PS balls in aqueous solution. During the TiO2 sintering processes, the PS evaporated, leaving behind large cavities (>1 £gm) in the photoanodes. These cavities enhance the scattering of light, leading to improved absorption of light by N3 dyes. DSSC efficiency increases with the increase in PS ball concentration during TiO2 fabrication. As with classical devices, TiCl4 treatment of TiO2 and the use of a compact TiO2 layer both improve the cell efficiency of DSSC devices with our large-cavity TiO2 photoanodes. ? 2011 The Japan Society of Applied Physics.