Titanium dioxide/calcium fluoride nanocrystallite for efficient dyesensitized solar cell. A strategy of enhancing light harvest

Enhancement of light harvest for dye excitation is a persistent objective in dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). We present here the fabrication of titanium dioxide/calcium fluoride (TiO2/CaF2) photoanodes for efficient DSSC applications. Owing to the interference effect of incident light beams reflected from TiO2/CaF2 and CaF2/electrolyte interfaces, the light intensity and therefore dye excitation have been markedly enhanced. The crystal structure and therefore photovoltaic performance are optimized by adjusting CaF2 dosage. A maximum power conversion efficiency of 7.66% is measured from the DSSC employing TiO2/ 0.5 wt% CaF2 nanocrystallite in comparison with 6.02% for the solar cell with pristine TiO2 anode. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.