Mesoporous Submicrometer TiO₂ Hollow Spheres As Scatterers in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Hierarchical submicrometer TiO2 hollow spheres with outer diameter of 300-700 nm and shell thickness of 200 nm are synthesized by liquid phase deposition of TiO2 over carbon microspheres as sacrificial templates. The final TiO2 hollow spheres are applied as a scattering layer on top of a transparent nanocrystalline TiO2 film, serving as the photoanode of a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC). In addition to efficient light scattering, the mesoporous structure of TiO2 hollow spheres provides a high surface area, 74 m(2)/g, which allows for higher dye loading. This dual functioning suggests that TiO2 hollow spheres may be good replacements for conventional TiO2 spheres as scatterers in DSCs. A high efficiency of 8.3% is achieved with TiO2 hollow spheres, compared with 6.0% for the electrode with 400 nm spherical TiO2 scatterers, at identical conditions.