Room temperature-processed TiO2 coated photoelectrodes for dye-sensitized solar cells

The depletion of fossil fuels and the increase in environmental awareness have led to greater interest in renewable energy. In particular, solar cells have attracted attention because they can convert an infinite amount of solar energy into electricity. Dye-sensitize solar cells (DSSCs) are low cost third generation solar cells that can be manufactured using environmentally friendly materials. However, DSSC photoelectrodes are generally produced by screen printing, which requires high temperature heat treatment, and low temperature processes that can be used to produce flexible DSSCs are limited. To overcome these temperature limitations, this study fabricated photoelectrodes using room-temperature aerosol deposition. The resulting DSSCs had an energy conversion efficiency of 4.07 %. This shows that it is possible to produce DSSCs and flexible devices using room-temperature processes.