Al-doped TiO2 photoanode for dye-sensitized solar cells

Porous aluminium doped TiO2 was prepared through a sol-gel process in the presence of a template. The doping enlarges the band-gap of the anatase TiO2, which modifies the TiO2 electrical properties. The porous Al/TiO2 films were assembled into dye-sensitized solar cells. A 45mV enhancement of open-circuit photovoltage and 11% increase of fill factor at 2wt-% doping concentration, and 8.6% improvement of the overall efficiency at 0.5 wt-% doping concentration were achieved relative to that of a cell containing non-doped TiO2 under the same conditions. This advance is attributed to the increase in conductivity with the Al-doping of the TiO2 electrode.