Data from: Elevated Temperature Anodized Nb2O5: A Photoanode Material with Exceptionally Large Photoconversion Efficiencies

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Here, we demonstrate that niobium pentoxide (Nb2O5) is an ideal candidate for increasing the efficiencies of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The key lies in developing a Nb2O5 crisscross nanoporous network, using our unique elevated temperature anodization process. For the same thicknesses of ~4 µm, the DSSC based on the Nb2O5 layer has a significantly higher efficiency (~4.1%) when compared to that which incorporates a titanium dioxide nanotubular layer (~2.7%). This is the highest efficiency among all of the reported photoanodes for such a thickness when utilizing back-side illumination. We ascribe this to a combination of reduced electron scattering, greater surface area, wider band gap, and higher conduction band edge, as well as longer effective electron lifetimes.