Bond Strength of TiO2Coatings onto FTO Glass for a Dye-sensitized Solar Cell

The bond strength of three types of $TiO_2$ coatings onto fluorine-doped $SnO_2$ (FTO) glass was investigated with the aid of a tape test according to ASTM D 3359-95. Transmittance was then measured using an UV-vis spectrophotometer in the wavelength range of 300 nm to 800 nm to evaluate the extent of adhesion of $TiO_2$ nanorods/nanoparticles on FTO glass. A sharp interface between the coating layer and the substrate was observed for single $TiO_2$ coating ($TiO_2$ nanorods/FTO glass), which may be detrimental to the bonding strength. In multicoating sample ($TiO_2$ nanorod/$TiO_2$ nanoparticle/$TiO_2$ nanoparticle/FTO glass), the tape test was not performed due to severe peeling-off prior to the test. On the other hand, the dual coating sample ($TiO_2$ nanorod/$TiO_2$ nanoparticle/FTO glass) showed minimum variation of transmittance (4%) after the test, suggesting that the topcoat adheres well with the FTO substrate due to the presence of the $TiO_2$ nanoparticle buffer layer. The use of a $TiO_2$ nanorod electrode layer with good adhesion may be attributed to the excellent dye sensitized solar cell performance.