Study on Surface and Crystallinity of TiO2 Microspheres as the Photoanode of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

: In this study, Titanium dioxide (TiO2) microspheres were synthesized by a hydrothermal method from the same precursor: titanium sulfate. Two different TiO2 microspheres with different surface and crystallinity were fabricated by adding different additives as the photoanode of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The growth mechanisms of the TiO2 microspheres were discussed. The effect of surface status and the crystallinity of the TiO2 microspheres on the photovoltaic characteristic of DSSCs were investigated. It was found that when the TiO2 microsphere with loose construction and rough surfaces along with better crystallinity was applied on photoanode, the DSSC exhibited better photoelectric performance than the DSSC with dense TiO2 microsphere photoanode. TiO2 microsphere with loose construction and rough surface applied to photoanode, the DSSC showed photoelectric conversion performance of 3.83% which is 53.8% higher than DSSC with dense and smooth TiO2 microsphere photoanode, and it is also superior to the DSSC with P25 photoanode.