Role of titania photoanode phase on the performance of the Dye Sensitized Solar Cell

The photoanode is one of the crucial components of a Dye Sensitized Solar Cell (DSSC) and understanding the effects of photoanode properties on DSSC performance is imperative. Titania (TiO2) one of the popular photoanode materials, exist in different phases. The current study reports the low temperature, environment induced synthesis of its two primary phases: anatase and rutile. The anatase and rutile samples were found to have similar crystallite sizes whilst forming into different morphologies. The anatase was found to have a particulate nature while the rutile formed into larger microspheres, which ultimately led to a lower dye absorption capability of the rutile photoanode. The anatase photoanode was also found to have a lower charge transfer resistance and lower charge recombination rate as compared to rutile. All of these factors contributed to the DSSC with anatase having superior performance with a photoconversion efficiency that is more than twice that of the rutile DSSC. Thus, the multifaceted effects of the photoanode properties need to be accounted to improve the performance of the DSSC.