High performance dye-sensitized solar cells with PEO based gel polymer electrolyte and rice grain-shaped TiO2 nanostructure developed by electrospinning

Abstract

Among the methods used to fabricate metal oxide nanostructures, electrospinning appears to be a convenient method due its ability to make continuous nanostructures with large surface area. Rice grain-shaped nanostructure of high surface area was prepared on TiO2 nanoparticle layer by simple, inexpensive electrospinning method. The electrospinning solution was prepared by using Titanium (IV) isopropoxide (TiP), polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) and acetic acid in N-N dimethylformamide (DMF). After the calcination at 500 0C, nanoparticle layer was coated on the fiber mat. These composite electrodes were used to fabricate quasi-solid state dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and the performances of these solar cells were checked with Polyethylene oxide (PEO) based gel electrolyte by optimizing the best electrolyte composition. These values were compared with DSSCs fabricated using pristine TiO2 nanoparticle electrode. While the DSSCs fabricated with rice grain-shaped nanostructure composite TiO2 electrodes showed an average efficiency of 6.9 % with short circuit current density (Jsc) of 16.93 mA cm-2 and open circuit voltage (Voc) of 672.3 mV respectively, the DSSCs fabricated with TiO2 nanopartical electrode alone showed an average efficiency of 5.76% with Jsc of 12.12 mA cm-2 and Voc of 718.7 mV respectively. A comparison of the photovoltaic performance of the DSSCs with TiO2 nanoparticle alone showed that the rice grain-shaped structures are superior to TiO2 nanoparticle prepared with commercially available TiO2.