Modifying TiO2 surface architecture by oxygen plasma to increase dye sensitized solar cell efficiency

Oxygen plasma treatment of TiO2 films has been used to improve the efficiency of dye sensitized solar cells. Both a commercial TiO2 sample and a TiO2 thin film synthesized by a sol-gel technique were treated using a custom built inductively coupled plasma apparatus. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that oxygen-plasma treatment increased the number of oxygen functional groups (hydroxyl groups) and introduced some Ti3 + species on the surface of TiO2. A sample solar cell with plasma treated TiO2 showed an overall solar-to-electricity conversion efficiency of 4.3%, about a 13% increase over untreated TiO2. The photon conversion efficiency for the plasma treated TiO2 was 34% higher than untreated TiO2. This enhanced cell-performance is partly due to increased dye adsorption from an increase in surface oxygen functional groups and also may be partly due to Ti3 + states on the surface of TiO2.