Effects of Gd3+ modifications on the photoelectrochemical properties of TiO2-based dye-sensitized solar cells

In this paper, TiO2 particles (~30 nm) modified with Gd2O3-coating layer (~2 nm) for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) were fabricated via the hydrothermal method. Among the solar cells based on the Gd3+-doped TiO2 photoanodes, the optimal conversion efficiency was obtained from the 0.025Gd3+-modified TiO2-based cell, with a 17.7% improvement in the efficiency as compared to the unmodified one (7.18%). This enhancement was probably due to the improved UV radiation harvesting via a down-conversion luminescence process by Gd3+ ions, enhancement of visible light absorption and improved dye loading capacity. In addition, after Gd modification, a thin coating could be formed on the TiO2 nanoparticles, which worked as an energy barrier and resulted in a lower charge recombination.