Physicochemical properties of Fe-doped TiO2 and the application in Dye-sensitized solar cells

Fe-doped TiO2 was here used as a semiconductor material for Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) to improve the solar energy conversion to electricity as compared to precursor TiO2. The physicochemical properties of Fe-doped TiO2 were clarified by different techniques such as X-ray diffractions, Transmission Electron Micro-scope, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV-vis Diffuse Reflectance Spectra, and Photoluminescence Spectra. The material resulted in a defective TiO2 with oxygen vacancies and Ti3+ along with Fe ions into the structure. The formation of superficial defects contributed to the prevention of electron-hole recombination, thereby enhancing the lifetime of the photoelectrons. The presence of defects was measured by the deconvolution of Ti 2p and O 1s, while the low recombination rate was calculated with the PL spectrum of the semiconductor. The higher lifetime of the e -/h+ pairs lead to a result with the efficiency of Fe-TiO2-based DSSC increased to 30% in comparison with undoped-TiO2-based DSSC.

Automated summary

By investigating the physicochemical properties of Fe-doped TiO2, it was found that the material possessed defect structures including oxygen vacancies, Ti3+, and Fe ions. These defect structures prevented electron-hole recombination, thereby enhancing the lifetime of the photoelectrons. As a result, the efficiency of Fe-TiO2-based DSSC increased to 30% compared to undoped-TiO2-based DSSC.