Photon management in dye-sensitized solar cell using light scattering layers: Silver or Titanium dioxide

Silver is well-known as a perfect reflector in visible spectrum while 400-nm-sized rutile-type TiO2 nanoparticles are common scattering centers to harvest the light in dye-sensitized solar cells. In this study, 400-nm-sized silver and 400-nm-sized rutile-type TiO2 nano particulates were prepared using template method. Scattering films were fabricated and attached to the outside of the counter electrode to compare the light scattering of metallic and conventional non-metallic scattering centers in dye-sensitized solar cells. The cell modified with TiO2 particulate layer shows higher JSC and η because this film has higher diffuse reflectance rather than Silver one to scatter more light into the cells.