Laser processing of nanocrystalline TiO2 films for dye-sensitized solar cells

Pulsed-laser deposition and laser direct-write have been applied to deposit dense (30 nm thick) and porous nanocrystalline TiO2 (nc-TiO2, 5-20 mum thick) layers incorporated in dye-sensitized solar cells. Laser direct-write is a laser-induced forward transfer technique that enables the fabrication of conformal structures containing metals, ceramics, polymers, and composites on rigid and flexible substrates without the use of masks or additional patterning steps. A pulsed UV laser (355 nm) was used to forward transfer a suspension of TiO2 (P25) nanopowder onto a F-doped SnO2 coated glass substrate. In this letter we demonstrate the use of laser transfer techniques to produce porous nc-TiO2 films required for dye-sensitized solar cells. The dye solar cells fabricated with the laser processed TiO2 layers on glass showed a power conversion efficiency of similar to4.3% under an illumination of 10 mW/cm(2). (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.