Fabrication of working and counter electrodes on plastic substrates for flexible dye-sensitized solar cells

This paper presents the fabrication technologies related to flexible titanium-dioxide (TiO₂) working electrodes and graphite counter electrodes on plastic substrates for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The DSSC on a plastic substrate had a sandwich structure consisting of a TiO₂ working electrode, an electrolyte, and a graphite counter electrode. Nano-crystalline TiO₂ powder, titanium (IV) bis (ammonium lactato) dihydroxide (TALH), de-ionized water (DI water), and Triton X-100 were added to the mixture of PDMS base and curing agents to form TiO₂ colloids for the TiO₂ working electrode. The material analysis of the TiO₂ working electrode and the graphite counter electrode employed field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Nano-crystalline TiO₂ powder was used to form the TiO₂ working electrode. The surface characteristics of the TiO₂ and graphite films were investigated herein. The low-cost fabrication technologies of the TiO₂ working electrode and graphite counter electrode on the plastic substrate were clearly demonstrated.