TiO2 Crystallization at Room Temperature and Preparation of Transparent Carbon Counter Electrode for Low-Cost Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Authors

Muhammad Iqbal Syauqi, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Indonesia, Depok 16424, IndonesiaFollow
Afiten Rahmin Sanjaya, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Indonesia, Depok 16424, Indonesia
Mohammad Jihad Madiabu, Department of Chemical Analysis, Politeknik AKA Bogor, Bogor 16154, Indonesia
Munawar Khalil, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Indonesia, Depok 16424, Indonesia
Jarnuzi Gunlazuardi, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Indonesia, Depok 16424, Indonesia

Abstract

We developed a low-cost dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) using TiO₂ fabricated via rapid breakdown anodization (RBA) and ultrafast room-temperature crystallization (URTC). The prepared TiO₂ was deposited on a self-made fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) conductive glass, and the FTO/TiO₂ system was sensitized using curcumin dye. The DSSC was constructed by sandwiching the FTO/TiO₂/curcumin electrode with an I⁻/I₂ electrolyte and a transparent carbon counter electrode prepared using a liquid–liquid interface system. The characterization results showed that the TiO₂ freshly prepared via URTC was transformed into an anatase crystalline phase, which exhibited a 3.10 eV band gap and a 10.08 nm average crystallite size, comparable to those of the TiO₂ prepared via the conventional 450 °C annealing treatment (3.13 eV, 11.60 nm). The photocurrent activity of the URTC-prepared TiO₂ under ultraviolet light (0.10 mA/cm²) was also comparable to that of the annealed TiO₂ (0.12 mA/cm²). In addition, a transparent carbon electrode (FTO/C_t) was prepared successfully; it exhibited a ±58.26% transparency under visible light and comparable electrocatalytic activity to Pt-coated FTO. The DSSC based on FTO/TiO₂-URTC/curcumin and FTO/C_t showed front and back illumination efficiencies of 0.47% and 0.26%, respectively. These results are only slightly lower than those of the conventional DSSC with FTO/annealed TiO₂/curcumin//FTO/Pt, which exhibited front and back illumination efficiencies of 0.52% and 0.36%, respectively.

Recommended Citation

Syauqi, Muhammad Iqbal; Sanjaya, Afiten Rahmin; Madiabu, Mohammad Jihad; Khalil, Munawar; and Gunlazuardi, Jarnuzi (2023) "TiO2 Crystallization at Room Temperature and Preparation of Transparent Carbon Counter Electrode for Low-Cost Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells," Makara Journal of Science: Vol. 27: Iss. 2, Article 6.
DOI: 10.7454/mss.v27i2.1476
Available at: https://scholarhub.ui.ac.id/science/vol27/iss2/6