Chemical sintering of nanoparticles:: A methodology for low-temperature fabrication of dye-sensitized TiO2 films

A binder-free nanocrystalline TiO2 paste with high viscosity (see Figure) has been developed using non-thermal sintering conditions to deposit a TiO2 film with good interparticle connectivity. A dye-sensitized TiO2 film dried at 150 degrees C demonstrates an overall conversion efficiency of 3.52 % under AM 1.5 (1000 W m(-2)) illumination. The binder-free TiO2 paste is expected to be utilizable in flexible dye-sensitized solar cells.