Improvement of facile hydrothermal TiO2 rutile nanorod-flower using second HiPIMS deposition for DSSC performance enhancement

Dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are alternative to the p-n junction photovoltaic devices. The most popular DSSC photoanode material is titanium dioxide (TiO2) which performance depends on the crystal phase, dimensions, morphology and surface properties. This work introduces the enhancement performance of TiO2 rutile nanorod-flower (T-NRF) prepared by hydrothermal using TiO2 reactive ion high impulse power magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) treatment. The FTIR and water contact analysis shows that the HiPIMS treatment has reduced the formation of hydroxyl group, thus improved the hydrophobic properties of the photoanode. FESEM displays that the nanocrystalline anatase TiO2 is formed on tip of the T-NRF after HiPIMS process which stimulates more dyes to anchor. The formation of TiO2 nanocrystalline is seen to improve the (111) plane observed from XRD. The IPCE and UV-Visible analysis shows an increment of dye absorbtion in the visible wave region due to improve in T-NRF photoanode dye absorbance after HiPIMS treatment. Both photoanodes with and without HiPIMS treatment were used in DSSC fabrication. The DSSC efficiency with HiPIMS treatment photoanode is improved by 80% due to improvement of open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current density. This work proves that the HiPIMS treatment is capable to improve the T-NRF photonode prepared by hydrothermal method, hence improved the DSSC performance.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates that the HiPIMS treatment enhances the performance of TiO2 photoanode by reducing hydroxyl group formation and improving hydrophobic properties, facilitating more dye absorption. The formation of TiO2 nanocrystalline structure increases dye absorption, leading to improved DSSC efficiency.