TiO₂-bismuth screen printing ink for flexible low temperature dye sensitized solar cells

¹ Research Centre for Nanomaterials and Energy Technology (RCNMET), School of Engineering & Technology, Sunway University, No. 5, Jalan Universiti, Bandar Sunway, Petaling Jaya, 47500 Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
² CoE for Energy and Eco-Sustainability Research, Uttaranchal University, Dehradun, India
³ Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE), UM Power Energy Dedicated Advanced Centre (UMPEDAC), Level 4, Wisma R&D, University of Malaya, Jalan Pantai Baharu, 59990 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
⁴ School of Engineering, Lancaster University, LA1 4YW, United Kingdom

^* Corresponding author: hzmcfc@gmail.com; adarshp@sunway.edu.my

Abstract

Flexible dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) possess multiple advantages with wide application and good commercialisation potential. However, the low conversion efficiency of the technology from poor charge transfer and interparticle contact has limited their utilisation. Thus, the research aims to enhance the performance of flexible plastic-based titanium dioxide (TiO₂) film via the formation of TiO₂-bismuth (Bi) ink for screen-printing of DSSC photoanode film. The implementation of Bi nanoparticles as sintering aid has managed to improve the interparticle contact in the photoanode film with neck formation at the TiO₂-Bi interface. This phenomenon has also led to the lowering of resistance values by 57 - 65% with charge transfer resistance of 11.72 kΩ.cm² and series resistance of 38.28 kΩ.cm² for the TiO₂-Bi photoanode. The recombination reactions were also reduced with longer electron lifetime of 0.0036 ms and enhanced charge transfer. The research has managed to prepare TiO₂-Bi ink that would be suitable for the fabrication of flexible DSSC photoanode film via screen printing. Hence, the outcome of the research could potentially lead to the development of highly efficient flexible low temperature DSSC and enhance their commercialisation potential.