AERODISP® fumed titanium dioxide dispersion for production of dye-sensitized solar cells

AEROXIDE® TiO2 P 25, well known for its high chemical purity and well defined physico-chemical properties such as surface area and unique phase structure, is widely used as a raw material for DSSCs. However, handling AEROXIDE® Fumed Metal Oxides such as "P25" requires sophisticated handling due to the fineness and fluffy nature of the powder; so products that simplify the incorporation of AEROXIDE® into a formulation or process technology clearly bring the potential of DSSC solar energy conversion much closer to widespread commercial success.

To address such challenges, Evonik has added a new product to its broad portfolio of AERODISP® dispersions: VP Disp LE 2730 X – the first dispersion of fumed titania in an organic solvent. The critical factor to overcome particle aggregation and allowing the development of titania pastes for the mass production of DSSCs is the narrow particle size distribution offered with VP Disp LE 2730 X.

VP Disp LE 2730 X leads to dramatically improved film properties:

• Dense, very regular layers
• Narrow pore size distribution
• High transparency

Paste composition – 20% Fumed titania from VP Disp LE 2730 X with simple mixing