Performance comparison of dye-sensitized solar cells by using different metal oxide- coated TiO2 as the photoanode

In order to increase the conversion efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells, TiO2 photoanode surface is often covered with a metal oxide layer to form a core-shell composite structure. Different metal oxide coating on TiO2 as composite photoanodes can affect the cell efficiency variously. However, there still lacks the crosswise comparison among the effects of different metal oxides on TiO2 photoanode. In this study, TiO2 was coated with Al2O3, CaO, ZnO, MgO, Fe2O3 or Bi2O3 separately by liquid phase deposition method. The results indicated that cells with TiO2/Al2O3, TiO2/ZnO, TiO2/CaO, or TiO2/MgO composite film as a photoanode had higher conversion efficiency than those with un-coated TiO2 films. TiO2/Al2O3 showed the highest efficiency and TiO2/CaO ranked second. On the contrary, cells with TiO2/Bi2O3 or TiO2/Fe2O3 composite film as a photoanode had lower conversion efficiency than those with un-coated TiO2 films. The mechanism of the cell efficiency change was also investigated. To get higher conversion efficiency, matched energy level of the metal oxide with TiO2 is the first prerequisite, and then the optimum coating thickness is also a necessary condition.