Low‐Temperature Fabrication of Efficient Porous Titania Photoelectrodes by Hydrothermal Crystallization at the Solid/Gas Interface

Abstract

Mechanically stable mesoporous nanocrystalline titania thick films can be prepared at low temperature (100 °C) by hydrothermal treatment of an aqueous mixed paste containing nanocrystalline TiO 2 powder and Ti salts. The Ti monomers are converted into crystalline TiO 2 , which acts as a “glue” to chemically connect the TiO 2 particles. Highly efficient flexible dye‐sensitized solar cells prepared on a conductive plastic film substrate were realized using this method and a conversion efficiency of 2.3 % at AM1.5 was achieved.