Microwave-assisted synthesis of titanium dioxide nanocrystalline for efficient dye-sensitized and perovskite solar cells

[Display omitted] •Formation of anatase within 25min by microwave heating route.•PCE of 8.16% was achieved for DSCs using microwave synthesized nanoparticles.•The first application of microwave synthesized nanoparticles for perovskite cells.•PCE of 10.73% was obtained for PSCs applying microwave synthesized nanoparticles. A rapid microwave-assisted hydrothermal synthetic method is reported for the fabrication of TiO2 nanoparticles. Their photovoltaic activities are performed in dye-sensitized and perovskite-based solar cells. Power conversion efficiencies using microwave-assisted synthesized TiO2 are relatively similar compared with those employed TiO2 nanoparticles made of conventional hydrothermal process. The reaction time that is typically 12h (literature value) was greatly reduced to only 25min using microwave-heating process for TiO2 nanoparticles formation, which provides an energy-saving and cost-effective method for making the building blocks of photoactive TiO2 nanocrystallines. The material properties of the microwave-synthesized TiO2 nanoparticles are characterized in details by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and photoluminescence emission spectra. An optimal dye-sensitized solar cell with impressive power conversion efficiency of 8.2% was achieved using microwave-synthesized nanoparticles in combination with commercial paste (CCIC HPW-400) as scattering layer. A mesoscopic perovskite-based solar cell employing microwave-assisted synthesized TiO2 nanoparticles obtained power conversion efficiency over 10%.