Amino acid assisted synthesis of mesoporous TiO2 nanocrystals for high performance dye-sensitized solar cells

Mesoporous TiO2 nanocrystals (denoted as TiO2-MS) have been synthesised by a one-step amino acid assisted synthesis method using L-lysine as a catalyst. An similar to 18% enhancement in dye-sensitized solar cells' (DSSCs) conversion efficiency was achieved using the TiO2-MS as photoanodes compared to that of benchmark Degussa P25 TiO2. The improved dye loading capacity and reduced charge recombination of TiO2-MS are responsible for the enhanced performance.