Royal Society of Chemistry, Journal of Materials Chemistry A: materials for energy and sustainability, 38(1), p. 11665
DOI: 10.1039/c3ta11485f
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The investigation of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) using a very thin (0.8 to 4.7 μm) transparent photoanode based on a hierarchically nanostructured TiO2 film prepared via Plasma Assisted Supersonic Jet Deposition (PA-SJD), in combination with the DSC benchmark photosensitizer N719, is presented. The cell photovoltages (nearly 0.8 V) and the amount of adsorbed dye and photocurrent densities, normalized over the film thickness, are higher than those of DSCs prepared with thicker (9 μm) conventional screen-printed TiO2 films. A record efficiency value of 5.7% (standard AM 1.5G solar irradiation) for very thin nanostructured titania photoanodes is obtained with a 2 μm PA-SJD TiO2 film. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy shows that PA-SJD devices are endowed with higher charge recombination resistance (lower recombination losses) and electron lifetimes compared to conventional nanocrystalline films.