Photoelectrochemical effect in dye sensitized, sputter deposited Ti oxide films: The role of thickness-dependent roughness and porosity

A review with 20 ref. Ti oxide films were made by reactive DC magnetron sputtering onto elec. conducting glass substrates. The films were dye sensitized with an Ru complex, thereby yielding nanocryst. solar cells. We investigated the microstructure of the films by X-ray diffraction, SEM, at. force microscopy, and cyclic voltammetry on viologen-contg. samples. The internal surface area was enhanced with increasing film thickness, and this property could be correlated with an enlarged photoelec. conversion efficiency.