Fabrication of 3D interconnected porous TiO₂nanotubes templated by poly(vinyl chloride-g-4-vinyl pyridine) for dye-sensitized solar cells

Abstract

Porous TiO(2) nanotube arrays with three-dimensional (3D) interconnectivity were prepared using a sol-gel process assisted by poly(vinyl chloride-graft-4-vinyl pyridine), PVC-g-P4VP graft copolymer and a ZnO nanorod template. A 7 µm long ZnO nanorod array was grown from the fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass via a liquid phase deposition method. The TiO(2) sol-gel solution templated by the PVC-g-P4VP graft copolymer produced a random 3D interconnection between the adjacent ZnO nanorods during spin coating. Upon etching of ZnO, TiO(2) nanotubes consisting of 10-15 nm nanoparticles were generated, as confirmed by wide-angle x-ray scattering (WAXS), energy-filtering transmission electron microscopy (EF-TEM) and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The ordered and interconnected nanotube architecture showed an enhanced light scattering effect and increased penetration of polymer electrolytes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). The energy conversion efficiency reached 1.82% for liquid electrolyte, and 1.46% for low molecular weight (M(w)) and 0.74% for high M(w) polymer electrolytes.

Enhanced photocatalytic and electrochemical properties of Au nanoparticles supported TiO2 microspheres

“…Among different oxides, TiO 2 has been widely investigated due to its potential applications in photocatalysis, 5 Li-ion battery materials, 6 solar cells, 7 photoanode materials, [8][9][10] sensors and in hydrogen generation by water photoelectrolysis. 11 It has been widely accepted that the catalytic activity of a semiconductorbased photocatalyst can be influenced by its surface structure which is directly exposed to the reaction media.…”

Facile synthesis of Au@TiO2 core–shell hollow spheres for dye-sensitized solar cells with remarkably improved efficiency

“…Among those, dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have great potential to be broadly used in our daily life due to their unique advantages, e.g., high energy conversion efficiency and inexpensive production cost. Since first being introduced by Gr€ atzel and coworkers in 1991, intensive research on DSSCs has been focused on achieving higher device efficiency and better performance by (1) screening new dye sensitizers for absorbing a wider range of light, 1 (2) searching novel hole scavengers for facilitating photogenerated charge separation, [2][3][4][5] or (3) rationalizing the construction of the photoelectrodes to either enhance light scattering [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] or speed up electron transfer. [16][17][18] As a comparison of the above three routes to improve the DSSC performance, routes (1) and (2) generally need tedious trials to explore the potentially useful materials, whereas route (3) is relatively simple and straightforward so that it is viewed as one of the most efficient ways.…”

Effect of Anodizing Time and Annealing Temperature on Photoelectrochemical Properties of Anodized TiO₂ Nanotube for Corrosion Prevention Application

“…TiO 2 NT have been prepared by various method such as hydrothermal treatment [5][6], template deposition [7][8] and electrochemical anodizing method [9][10][11]. Anodization with electrochemical method using titanium foil in fluoride that containing electrolyte has been chosen as the favorable method because the surface of TiO 2 NT films have formed a strong bond with the titanium subtrate.…”