Low temperature synthesis of anatase TiO2 nanoparticles and its application in nanocrystalline thin films

Abstract

The nano-sized TiO2 is an important material based on its application for solar cells. The low-cost synthesis of nano-sized TiO2 is of high demand for commercial purposes. Synthesis of TiO2 nanoparticles was achieved via the low-temperature Sol-gel method. Surface morphology was confirmed from SEM analysis, which showed that particle size is in the range of nanometer with no aggregation, The XRD results confirm the formation of anatase phase with high crystallinity. Furthermore, as prepared nano-sized TiO2 particles were developed as sol-gel ink which was later deposited by spin coating on glass substrate with controlled spinning speed thereafter structural and optical properties were characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and DSC-TGA. The low-cost synthesis of TiO2 nanoparticles with highly conductive thin films can be used as a potential material for future dye-sensitized solar cells.