High-performance dye-sensitized solar cells containing double-layer organized mesoporous TiO2 films sensitized by a dye with a high molar extinction coefficient

In the present work, we describe a practical technique to construct double-layer organized mesoporous TiO 2 films with a combined thickness of 0.85  μ m. Large mesopores (25.74 nm) formed in the film by using ovalbumin as the main template facilitate entry and adsorption of dye molecules. The films were sensitized by a dye that exhibits a high molar extinction coefficient because it contains a ligand with a fused-ring system. The double-layer films exhibited a solar conversion efficiency of 7.37%, which was about 35% higher than that of monolayer films.