Effect of Ce doping on the structural, optical, and photovoltaic properties of TiO2 based dye-sensitized solar cells

In this research, the sol-gel technique has been used for the preparation of titanium dioxide (TiO2), 1% cerium doped titanium dioxide (Ce-TiO2), 1% Ce-TiO2/TiO2, and TiO2/1% Ce-TiO2 films. XRD pattern verified that all the films consist of TiO2 anatase phases. The crystallite size of bilayer film is larger than that of a single deposited film. According to UV-Visible spectroscopy, the film Ce-TiO2/TiO2 has low band gap energy (Eg) value of 3.28 eV. The DSSCs of these films are fabricated with N719 dye and iodide/tri-iodide electrolyte. Various parameters including short circuit current density, open circuit voltage, fill factor, and efficiency of the cells are determined through J-V curves. The results exhibited that 1% Ce-TiO2/TiO2 film has achieved a maximum efficiency of about 3.08%.

Automated summary

The study utilized the sol-gel technique to prepare titanium dioxide and cerium-doped titanium dioxide films, with the 1% Ce-TiO2/TiO2 film achieving a maximum efficiency of about 3.08% in dye-sensitized solar cells.