Fabrication and properties of meso-macroporous electrodes screen-printed from mesoporous titania nanoparticles for dye-sensitized solar cells

A meso-macroporous TiO2 film electrode was fabricated by using mesoporous TiO2 (m-TiO2) nanoparticles through a screen-printing technique in order to efficiently control the main fabrication step of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The qualities of the screen-printed m-TiO2 films were characterized by means of spectroscopy, electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption–desorption and photoelectrochemical measurements. Under the optimal paste composition and printing conditions, the DSSC based on the meso-macroporous m-TiO2 film electrode exhibits an energy conversion efficiency of 4.14%, which is improved by 1.70% in comparison with DSSC made with commercially available nonporous TiO2 nanoparticles (P25, Degussa) electrode printed with a similar paste composition. The meso-macroporous structure within the m-TiO2 film is of great benefit to the dye adsorption, light absorption and the electrolyte transportation, and then to the improvement of the overall energy conversion efficiency of DSSC.