Atomic Layer Deposition of TiO_2 on Mesoporous nanoITO: Conductive Core?Shell Photoanodes for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

摘要

Core?shell structures consisting of thin shells of conformal TiO_2 deposited on high surface area, conductive Sn-doped In_2O_3 nanoparticle. Mesoscopic films were synthesized by atomic layer deposition and studied for application in dye-sensitized solar cells. Results obtained with the N719 dye show that short-circuit current densities, open-circuit voltages, and back electron transfer lifetimes all increased with increasing TiO_2 shell thickness up to 1.8?2.4 nm and then decline as the thickness was increased further. At higher shell thicknesses, back electron transfer to ?Ru~III is increasingly competitive with transport to the nanoITO core resulting in decreased device efficiencies.