Synthesis of TiO2 nanoparticles with (001) preferential plane for photovoltaic performance in DSSC

• TiO 2 bipyramidal nanoparticles with a high surface area of 103 to 245 m 2 g -1 . • TiO 2 bipyramidal nanoparticles with 001 plane from 54 to 68 %. • Dissolution solvent effect in TiO 2 paste for DSSC, increasing thermal stability. • Textural properties of octahedral TiO 2 nanoparticles effect in dssc efficiency. In this work, we report the effect of temperature in the preparation of TiO 2 nanoparticles with spherical and quasi-octahedral shapes and a modulated surface area ranging from 103 to 245 m² g - ¹ using the peptization-hydrothermal method without porosity, size and shape controlling agents; varying the temperature to achieve particle sizes of 9 to 20 nm and porosities from 32 to 120 Å. It was observed that photovoltaic parameters were also modified. The TiO 2 samples were characterized by XRD, BET, TEM, DRS, TGA, and I-V curves. The increase in synthesis temperature correlates with particle and pore size, as well as a reduction in surface area. However, when the synthesis temperature was 210 °C, the surface area decreased by 42 %. The TiO 2 samples were used to prepare ethyl cellulose pastes for fabricating thin-film photoanodes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The photovoltaic results showed that the sample prepared at 180 °C exhibited the most suitable textural properties and crystalline orientation for DSSC applications.