Quenching process effects on the performance of a TiO₂ photoelectrode for dye-sensitized solar cells

A rapid cooling (quenching) step has been introduced in fabrication of TiO₂ photoelectrodes for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The quenching process, studied at a fixed sintering temperature, decreased particle size but increased surface roughness without any substantial change in the crystal structure or oxidation state of TiO₂ films. Therefore, the change in the DSSC performance induced by the quenching was related closely to the microstructural and morphological changes in the TiO₂ films. Smaller particle size and the rough surface of TiO₂ films facilitated dye adsorption and increased the number of active reaction sites. In particular, the enlarged number of active reaction sites produced by the quenching process promoted the charge transfer reaction at the TiO₂-dye-electrolyte interface, resulting in overall performance improvement of DSSCs. The conversion efficiency of the furnace cooled-and quenched-TiO₂ films at 500^oC were 4.588% and 5.797%, respectively.