Abstract :

Pure and Al-doped anatase TiO2 nanoparticles are prepared by an acid tailored sol-gel method and successfully used as a photoanode for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The samples were characterized by using powder XRD, FE-SEM with EDX, UV-DRS, and Current-Voltage curve. After Al doping, the conductivity of the TiO2 increases and it has a positive shift. The energyconversion efficiency of a cell based on 0.05 mol% Al-doped TiO2 is significantly better, by about 4.6%, compared to that of a cell based on undoped TiO2. The synthesized Al-doped TiO2 material is proven in detail to be a better photoanode material than pure TiO2 nanoparticles with a simple and versatile way to prepare excellent photoanode materials.