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Effects of Ethyl Cellulose on Performance of Titania Photoanode for Dye-sensitized Solar Cells

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Abstract

Ethyl cellulose (EC) was added to a titania (TiO2) paste from 2 wt.% to 18 wt.% as a binder/dispersant, and its effects on the photovoltaic performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) were investigated. The TiO2 mesoporous film constructed on the photoanode exhibited a dense and network structure composed of well-interconnected TiO2 nanoparticles when using a proper amount of EC (10 wt.%). Excessive and deficient addition of EC resulted in aggregation of TiO2 nanoparticles and formation of pores, respectively, in the TiO2 film. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of DSSC showed a strong dependence on the EC content and the highest PCE of 7.53% with the highest short-circuit current density (J SC) of 12.7 mA/cm2 was achieved when the content of EC was 10 wt.%. The incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE) results indicated that the TiO2 mesoporous film fabricated using a proper EC addition was beneficial for electron generation (also confirmed by dye desorption experiments) and electron transport, and, therefore, improved the photovoltaic performance of DSSCs.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support from the National Science Council, Taiwan (NSC 102-2221-E-005-009-MY3).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, 402, Taiwan

    Ting-Chien Liu, Chih-Chung Wu, Chih-Hsiang Huang & Chih-Ming Chen

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  1. Ting-Chien Liu
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  2. Chih-Chung Wu
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Correspondence to Chih-Ming Chen.

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Liu, TC., Wu, CC., Huang, CH. et al. Effects of Ethyl Cellulose on Performance of Titania Photoanode for Dye-sensitized Solar Cells. J. Electron. Mater. 45, 6192–6199 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-016-4719-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-016-4719-7

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