PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF TiO2 FILMS OBTAINED BY ELECTRODEPOSITION ON ITO AND ANNEALING TREATMENT

Abstract

Due to the growing demand for renewable energy sources, the development of new materials for use in solar cells is of critical importance. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a n-type semiconductor and is a low-cost alternative for use in solar cells. This study presents the feasibility of using TiO2 films electrodeposited on indium–tin oxide (ITO) as an electron acceptor in hybrid photovoltaic cells. Results obtained by X-ray diffraction show that all films exhibited the anatase phase at 600 °C. Fluorescence measurements were performed using confocal microscopy laser scanning fluorescence. It was observed that the polyfluorene light-emitting polymer, when used in conjunction with TiO2, showed a decrease in the emission ratio as compared with the film in the absence of TiO2. This result shows that TiO2 films prepared using the approach described in this study can effectively act as electrons acceptors.