Fabrication and characterization of TiO2 based dye-sensitized solar cell

Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs) are the promising low-cost solar cells to convert solar energy into electric energy. In this study, TiO2 based Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell is fabricated. TiO2 paste is prepared by using ethanol as a solvent. A thin layer of TiO2 paste is coated on ITO conducting glass, which acts as a working electrode. The counter electrode is prepared by pencil graphite paste using ethanol as a solvent and coated on ITO conducting glass. The dye solution is prepared by adding commercially available methylene blue dye to ethanol and deionized water. From XRD studies, the average crystallite size of TiO2 powder is found to be 88.46 nm. This indicates that the nanostructure of the TiO2 having a large surface to volume ratio playing a vital role in the absorption of solar radiations by the material. J-V characteristics of fabricated DSSC were studied to evaluate its performance in terms of a short circuit current, open-circuit voltage, and fill factor. The performance of DSSC may be enhanced by decreasing the crystallite size of TiO2.