Issue 28, 2013
From the journal:

CrystEngComm

Single-step synthesis of 3D nanostructured TiO2 as a scattering layer for vertically aligned 1D nanorod photoanodes and their dye-sensitized solar cell properties

Sawanta S. Mali,a   Hyungjin Kim,a   Chang Su Shim,a   Woo Ri Bae,b   N. L. Tarwal,c   Shivaji B. Sadale,c   Pramod S. Patil,bc   Jin-Hyeok Kim*b  and  Chang Kook Hong*a  

* Corresponding authors

a Advanced Chemical Engineering Department, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, South Korea
E-mail: hongck@chonnam.ac.kr

b Dept. of Materials Science, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, 500-757, South Korea
E-mail: jinhyeok@chonnam.ac.kr

c Thin Film Materials Laboratory, Department of Physics, Shivaji University, Kolhapur-416004, India
E-mail: psp_phy@unishivaji.ac.in

Abstract

In the present investigation we have successfully synthesized 1D vertically aligned rutile TiO2 nanorods (TNR) and 3D TiO2 nanostars (TNS) as a scattering layer by a single step hydrothermal route. The synthesized nanostructures were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning-and transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The 1D TiO2 nanorod and 3D TiO2 nanostar samples were further used for N-719 dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC) application. Compared to a nanorod based cell, the photovoltaic performance of the nanostars/nanorods TiO2 cell exhibits excellent DSSC performance, including superior light scattering, rapid electron transport and lower electron recombination rate. The 3D/1D TNS/TNR based DSSC cell exhibits 5.39% power conversion efficiency, which is remarkably higher than that of the bare 1D nanorod based (3.74%) photoelectrode. The detailed interface and transient properties of these nanorod and nanostar based photoanodes in DSSCs were analyzed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements and open circuit voltage decay measurements in order to understand the critical factors contributing to such high power conversion efficiency. The enhancement of the efficiency for the 3D/1D TNS/TNR photoanode based cell compared to the 1D TNR is mainly attributed to better light scattering capability, faster electron transport and lower electron recombination.

Graphical abstract: Single-step synthesis of 3D nanostructured TiO2 as a scattering layer for vertically aligned 1D nanorod photoanodes and their dye-sensitized solar cell properties

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Article information

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1039/C3CE40321A
Article type
Paper
Submitted
20 Feb 2013
Accepted
08 May 2013
First published
10 May 2013

CrystEngComm, 2013,15, 5660-5667

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Single-step synthesis of 3D nanostructured TiO2 as a scattering layer for vertically aligned 1D nanorod photoanodes and their dye-sensitized solar cell properties

S. S. Mali, H. Kim, C. S. Shim, W. R. Bae, N. L. Tarwal, S. B. Sadale, P. S. Patil, J. Kim and C. K. Hong, CrystEngComm, 2013, 15, 5660 DOI: 10.1039/C3CE40321A

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