Characteristics of the Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Using TiO₂ Nanotubes Treated with TiCl₄

The replacement of oxide semiconducting TiO₂ nano particles with one dimensional TiO₂ nanotubes (TNTs) has been used for improving the electron transport in the dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Although use of one dimensional structure provides the enhanced photoelectrical performance, it tends to reduce the adsorption of dye on the TiO₂ surface due to decrease of surface area. To overcome this problem, we investigate the effects of TiCl₄ treatment on DSSCs which were constructed with composite films made of TiO₂ nanoparticles and TNTs. To find optimum condition of TNTs concentration in TiO₂ composites film, series of DSSCs with different TNTs concentration were made. In this optimum condition (DSSCs with 10 wt% of TNT), the effects of post treatment are compared for different TiCl₄ concentrations. The results show that the DSSCs using a TiCl₄ (90 mM) post treatment shows a maximum conversion efficiency of 7.83% due to effective electron transport and enhanced adsorption of dye on TiO₂ surface.