Efficient dye-sensitized solar cells using electrospun TiO2 nanofibers as a light harvesting layer

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanofibers were fabricated directly onto thick nanoparticle electrodes by using electrospinning and sol-gel techniques. After calcination, the anatase TiO2 nanofibers obtained exhibited a one-dimensional structure of high crystallinity and average diameter of similar to 250 nm. Dye (N719) sensitized photoelectrochemical cells comprised of a nanoparticle/nanofiber electrode were fabricated. An IPCE of 85% at the wavelength of 540 nm with conversion efficiencies of 8.14% and 10.3% (for areas of 0.25 and 0.052 cm(2), respectively) were obtained under 1.5 AM (100 mW/cm(2)) illumination. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.