Fabrication of dye-sensitized solar cells by spray pyrolysis deposition (SPD) technique

Porous TiO2 films were successfully synthesized in air from a commercial TiO2-sol by spray pyrolysis deposition (SPD) technique. The film consisted of fine TiO2 particles, approximately 30–50 nm in size, and showed the roughness factor as high as 1000. A dye-sensitized solar cell was constructed by SPD technique. In this technique, porous TiO2/dense TiO2/SnO2:F junction was prepared within 10–15 min, which drastically shortened the fabrication period of working electrodes. The photovoltaic conversion efficiency was enhanced up to 5.1% under the quasi-sunlight of AM-1.5 and 100 mW/cm2 by optimizing the porosity of TiO2 film. The result leads to an industrial production of dye-sensitized solar cells in the near future.