Hydrothermal growth of branched hierarchical TiO₂ nanorod arrays for application in dye-sensitized solar cells

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• 作者：Ao Hu ; Jingyang Wang ; Shaohua Qu…
• 刊名：Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics
• 出版年：2017
• 出版时间：February 2017
• 年：2017
• 卷：28
• 期：4
• 页码：3415-3422
• 全文大小：
• 刊物类别：Chemistry and Materials Science
• 刊物主题：Optical and Electronic Materials; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials;
• 出版者：Springer US
• ISSN：1573-482X
• 卷排序：28

文摘

In this study, rutile branched hierarchical TiO₂ nanorod arrays were prepared on transparent conductive glass (FTO) through a facile two-step hydrothermal method. The microstructure and growth mechanism of branched TiO₂ nanorod arrays were investigated respectively by means of X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The dye-sensitized solar cells based on the branched TiO₂ nanorod arrays which were only about 1.5 μm in length show a overall power conversion efficiency of 2.01%, which is nearly three times as high as that of pure nanorod arrays. The enhanced efficiency can be ascribed to the increased specific surface area from the nanobranches, which can improve the amount of dye adsorption, as well as the better light scattering effect. Furthermore, the electrochemical impedance spectra results show that the branched TiO₂ nanorod arrays can also decrease the resistance of the electron transfer at the TiO₂/dye/electrolyte interface, and leading to a rapid electron transport.