Photovoltaic behavior of structures based on nanocrystalline semiconductor oxides

Contributions to the improvement of TiO₂ photoelectrodes are presented. When using as underlying layer a thin film obtained by microwave-activated chemical bath deposition (MW-CBD), photoelectrodes with a two-layer TiO₂ structure supersede the one-layer structure. This is explained on the basis of TiO₂-conducting oxide contact. Also, the TiO₂ sensitization issue is considered. A new simple way to sensitize TiO₂ with copper oxide is used. This technology is perspective for trying to eliminate liquid electrolyte in DSSC and possibly, for water photolysis. Photoelectrodes formed with a copper oxide-porous TiO ₂ heterostructure work in the visible part of the spectrum and require no bias for photocurrent generation. Photovoltaic behavior is characterized by the spectral photocurrent dependence and time response.