A Review on the development of TiO2 photoanode for Solar Applications

Abstract

Recently perovskite solar cell (PSC) have emerged as a new class of light absorbers, achieving exceptional progress in solar cell performance. Typically, A PSC consists of a photoanode, absorber and a hole transport material whereas the Photoanode plays a crucial role by efficiently transporting electrons as well as simoutenously blocking holes towards the Perovskite absorber. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is the most common n-type semiconductor used as photoanode in PSCs because of its chemical stability, ability to moderate charge transport and ease of synthesis process. It has been well evaluated that the performance of PSCs is greatly influenced by the charachteristiscs of the TiO2 nanostructures. The key properties of the TiO2 photoanodes are exemplified by particle size, morphology crystallinity, phase content and chemical composition. In this review paper, we discuss the key mechanisms of TiO2 photoanodes and elaborate on the effect of its incorporation in perovskite solar cells. Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have appeared as a promising source to meet the energy demand as an environmentally friendly alternative.