Recombination Reduction in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells by Screen-Printed TiO₂ Underlayers

In dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), the TiO₂ underlayer can block the electron recombination at the FTO (fluorine doped SnO₂) glass/electrolyte interface. This underlayer was traditionally prepared by spray-pyrolysis or spin coating. In this study, we develop an alternative method based on screen-printing. The quality of the screen-printed underlayers is characterized by SEM, XPS and the hotoelectrochemistry measurements. The prepared underlayers are smooth and effective. The screen-printing technique is cheap and easy to handle and can produce films with different patterns. These advantages will facilitate applications of the screen-printed underlayer.