Review of TiO₂ and ZnO thin films photo-anode preparation methods in dye-sensitized solar cells

This review presented the commonly used preparation methods for TiO₂ and ZnO thin film of photo-anode of dye-densitized solar cells(DSSCs), such as sol-gel, hydrothermal synthesis, magnetron sputtering and electrochemical deposition, in addition with pulsed laser deposition method, metalorganic chemical vapor deposition, spray pyrolysis method and chemical precipitation process. The forecasts of the future developments of DSSCs will be preparation and optimization of semiconductor thin film, decreasing loss of electron conduction, composite of different semiconductor materials, optimizing energy structure and energy level matching of semiconductor and photosensitive dye, preparation of more compact and orderly nano-array optical anode materials and processes suitable for large-scale production.