Performance Enhancement of CdS/CdSe Quantum Dot-Sensitized Solar Cells with (001)-Oriented Anatase TiO(2) Nanosheets Photoanode

CdS/CdSe quantum dot-sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs) were fabricated on two types of TiO(2) photoanodes, namely nanosheets (NSs) and nanoparticles. The TiO(2) NSs with high (001)-exposed facets were prepared via a hydrothermal method, while the TiO(2) nanoparticles used the commercial Degussa P-25. It was found that the pore size, specific surface area, porosity, and electron transport properties of TiO(2) NSs were generally superior to those of P-25. As a result, the TiO(2) NS-based CdS/CdSe QDSSC has exhibited a power conversion efficiency of 4.42%, which corresponds to a 54% improvement in comparison with the P-25-based reference cell. This study provides an effective photoanode design using nanostructure approach to improve the performance of TiO(2)-based QDSSCs. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s11671-018-2842-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.