Plasma treated TiO2 aerogel nanostructures as photoanode material and its influence on the performance of quasi-solid dye-sensitized solar cells

Abstract The present study demonstrates the effect of oxygen plasma treatment on the structural, optical and electrical properties of TiO2 aerogel nanostructure and the usefulness of these materials as photoanode in DSSC. X-ray diffraction pattern indicates that long exposure of plasma on TiO2 aerogel nanostructure initiates amorphous nature due to the generation of oxygen vacancies. High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscope (HRTEM) and Selected Area Electron Diffraction (SAED) pattern also supports the change in crystallinity after plasma treatment. The Intensity Modulated Photocurrent spectroscopy (IMPS) and Intensity Modulated Photovoltage Spectroscopic (IMVS) study shows that the electron life time is increased after plasma treatment even in the presence of oxygen vacancies. The power conversion efficiency of 10 min plasma treated TiO2 aerogel is enhanced to 3.94% due to low concentration of oxygen vacancies which is beneficial for better electron transport through these surface vacant sites.