Tailoring anatase nanotubes for the photovoltaic device by the anodization process on behalf of microstructural features of titanium thin film

Abstract

We prepared the anatase nanotubes (NT) and other nanostructured titania as electron accepting/transmitting layers in solar cells, using titanium anodization. Upon gaining control over the anodization, the parameters were held constant in order to observe the role of the deposited layers (by electron beam evaporation and magnetron sputtering) on the NT yield. The structural and microstructural parameters were investigated using FIB-FEGSEM, XRD, Raman and GIXRD. Differences in the titanium layers play a significant role on the type of titania nanostructures achieved. Only dense homogeneous titanium layer surface, uniform in thickness and without cracks at macroscale, with uniformly seized isotropic nanoparticles, will enable uniform electrochemical etching and thus favourable, reproducible formation of the titania NT, and upon thermal treatment the anatase NT. Transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layers, which are not in direct contact to the NT, can also exhibit influence on the morphology of the titania NT charge transfer layer. In order to reach large uniform areas of nanotubes, which is required for solar cell application, the preparation of titanium layer has to be tailored

Hydrothermal Synthesis of FeOOH and Fe2O3 Modified Self-Organizing Immobilized TiO2 Nanotubes for Photocatalytic Degradation of 1H-Benzotriazole

“…TiNT were formed by an electrochemical anodization of Ti foil (see Section 3). The unmodified surface consists of a well-organized and homogeneously arranged nanotubes with an average diameter of 100 nm [48]. FeOOH@TiNT samples, modified with three different concentrations of Fe compounds (0.8 mM, 8 mM and 80 mM), showed significant changes in the morphology, in comparison to as-prepared TiNT.…”

“…TiO 2 nanotube arrays were obtained by anodizing titanium metal foil (1.5 × 1.5 cm, thickness 0.25 mm, 99.7%, Sigma Aldrich, Steinheim, Germany) [48]. Before anodization, substrates were cleaned in an ultrasonic cleaner in acetone (C 3 H 5 OH, p.a., Fluka), ethanol (C 2 H 5 OH, 99.8%, Fluka) and deionized water.…”

Modelling of simultaneously obtained small and wide angle synchrotron-radiation scattering depth profiles of ordered titania nanotube thin films

“…Recently the preparation of TiO 2 nanotube array thin films and the influence of the Ti substrate morphology on the nanotubes' growth has been reported [10]. In this work, the focus lies on the quantitative analysis of the nanotubes dimensions (inner radius and wall thickness) obtained by GISWAXS.…”

Low-Cost Synthesis of Cu-Modified Immobilized Nanoporous TiO2 for Photocatalytic Degradation of 1H-Benzotriazole

“…Nanoporous amorphous TiO 2 samples (denoted as NEA TiO 2 ( not-annealed TiO 2 ) in Table 1) that also contained a small amount of self-organized and aligned TiO 2 nanotubes/nanopores, were fabricated at 60 V for 3 h. After anodization, samples were rinsed first in ethanol then in deionized water, and dried using nitrogen gas. Finally, anodized samples were thermally treated in a tube furnace at 450 • C (heating/cooling rate of 2 • C/min) for 2 h to obtain pure anatase form of TiO 2 [29,49] (denoted as NP TiO 2 in Table 1). A modified version of anodization process was also carried out with addition of copper nitrate (samples NP_TiO 2 _sCu_g_20V_20min and NP_TiO 2 _sCu_g_30V_20min, Table 1) or copper acetylacetonate (sample NP_TiO 2 _sCu_g_10V_20min, Table 1) in electrolyte as one of the syntheses method.…”