The effects of four factors, i.e., (i) sputter-deposition time of platinum (Pt) film, (ii) sintering temperature of TiO2-coated Ti foil (Ti/TiO2), (iii) thickness of Ti foil, and (iv) concentration of iodine are reported for the photovoltaic performance of a back-illuminated flexible dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) with Ti foil substrate for the TiO2 layer. Optimization of these four factors yields a solar-to-electricity conversion efficiency (II) of 5.95%. Transmittance spectra, cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS). X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron micrographs (SEM), and laser-induced photovoltage transient technique are used to substantiate the explanations. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.