High-Performance Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Based on Colloid–Solution Deposition Planarized Fluorine-Doped Tin Oxide Substrates

The transmittance and conductivity of fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) conductive glasses are the critical factors limiting the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Here, the transmittance and conductivity of commercial FTO glasses were improved via a colloid–solution deposition planarization (CSDP) process. The process includes two steps. First, the FTO nanocrystal colloid was deposited on the FTO glasses by spin-coating. Secondly, the coated glasses were treated by FTO precursor solution. Compared to the bare FTO glasses, the modified FTO glasses by the CSDP process achieved 4% increase in transmittance (at 550 nm) and 11% decrease in sheet resistance, respectively. In addition, the modified FTO glasses can reduce the aggregation of Pt nanoparticles and improve the electrocatalytic activity of Pt counter electrodes. When the modified FTO glasses were used to assemble DSSCs, the cells got a photoelectric conversion efficiency as high as 9.37%. In contrast, the efficiency of reference cells using bare FTO substrates was about 8.24%.