Low temperature chemically sintered nano-crystalline TiO2 electrodes for flexible dye-sensitized solar cells

Abstract

Chemically sintered, mesoporous TiO2 electrodes with improved interparticle contact and bond strength were prepared on indium tin oxide (ITO) coated plastic substrates in the absence of any organic binders, using hydrochloric acid as the sole reagent to encourage interparticle connectivity. The degree of chemical sintering as a function of the HCl concentration was evaluated using a newly developed nanoscratch technique. The rheological properties of the titania paste was influenced by the HCl, as was the resultant bonding of the TiO2 grains both to each other and to the substrate. The mechanism for the low temperature chemical sintering could be due to the surface modification of titania pa..