Dye-sensitized solar cells with modified TiO2 surface chemical states: The role of Ti3+

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) with TiO2 electrodes, which were modified to have different surface chemical states, were fabricated. The DSSCs had an ultra-flat TiO2 electrode, on which only a mono-layer dye was attached. The cell I-V measurement showed that Ti3+ ion had a dramatic effect on cell performance. The efficiency of a DSSC was shown to have a strong correlation with the concentration of the Ti3+ surface state, it decreased almost linearly with increased Ti3+ concentration. The oxygen vacancy-Ti3+ defect served as electron recombination center and decreased both the open-circuit voltage and the fill factor. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3660711]