Preparation of TiO2 nanoparticles two-dimensional photonic-crystals: a novel scattering layer of quantum dot-sensitized solar cells

Abstract Photonic crystals (PCs) have been intensively studied due to their unique optical properties, and the solar cells based on PCs have attracted wide attention. In this paper, we have prepared TiO 2 nanoparticles (NPs) two-dimensional (2D) PCs (TiO 2 -2D-PCs) microstructure by a novel and simple method based on a micro-extrusion (ME) process. To preliminarily assess the possibility of 2D-PCs applied to solar cells, TiO 2 -2D-PCs thick films as light scattering layer were applied in CdSe-sensitized solar cells. The absorption spectra showed that TiO 2 -2D-PCs greatly enhanced the light absorbance of cells, and the cell with TiO 2 -2D-PCs exhibited 47.2% enhancement in short-circuit current density ( Jsc ) and 73.9% enhancement in the power conversion efficiency ( η ) as compared to the cell without TiO 2 -2D-PCs.