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Preparation of TiO2 nanoparticles by sparking technique for enhancing photovoltaic performance of dye-sensitized solar cells

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Abstract

The double-layer photoanodes fabricated from TiO2 nanoparticles (np-TiO2) and TiO2 powder (P25) for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are reported. The np-TiO2 was deposited on FTO substrates by a sparking technique. The PT1 and PT2 DSSCs were composed of FTO/P25/np-TiO2/N719/electrolyte/Pt and FTO/np-TiO2/P25/N719/electrolyte/Pt, respectively. The Nyquist plot and equivalent circuit of impedance of the DSSCs are also explained and discussed. In this research, the PT1 DSSC with a 1 h sparking period has the highest efficiency of 3.62, 50.21% higher than that of the reference. The enhancement is explained by the increase of adsorption of dye molecules that lead to a remarkable improvement in short-circuit photocurrent (J sc). The pore size distribution with increasing the film thickness played a role in the penetration of the electrolyte, dye molecules and effective surface area. Moreover, a decrease in the interfacial resistance was detected in the P25/np-TiO2 double-layered photoanode, leading to fast charge transport and decreased charge recombination in DSSCs.

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Acknowledgements

We wish to thank Thailand’s Office of the Higher Education Commission, Thailand Research Fund (TRF), and Chiang Mai University (CMU) for financial support through the co-Fund No. MRG5680025, including Thailand’s Office of the Higher Education Commission through the National Research University (NRU) Project for Chiang Mai University and the Department of Physics and Materials Science, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, through a general support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics and Materials Science, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand

    Orawan Wiranwetchayan, Wonchai Promnopas, Supab Choopun, Pisith Singjai & Somchai Thongtem

  2. Faculty of Science, Materials Science Research Center, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand

    Supab Choopun, Pisith Singjai & Somchai Thongtem

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  1. Orawan Wiranwetchayan
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  2. Wonchai Promnopas
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  3. Supab Choopun
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  5. Somchai Thongtem
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Correspondence to Orawan Wiranwetchayan.

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Wiranwetchayan, O., Promnopas, W., Choopun, S. et al. Preparation of TiO2 nanoparticles by sparking technique for enhancing photovoltaic performance of dye-sensitized solar cells. Res Chem Intermed 43, 4339–4352 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11164-017-2881-z

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