TiO2 nanowires infiltrated with graphene-decorated mesoporous TiO2 for enhanced dye-sensitized solar cell

Abstract

Novel hybrid dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) were fabricated and characterized, employing a composite photoanode of TiO2 nanowires infiltrated with graphene-decorated mesoporous TiO2. Combining the merits of the high dye loading of mesoporous TiO2, high light harvesting capability with the carrier transport of TiO2 nanowires and the high electron collection efficiency from graphene, the overall performance of such photoanode was significantly improved. The obtained DSSCs showed a power conversion efficiency of up to 7.58%, about 1.5 times higher than the pristine TiO2 nanowires, which was quite competitive compared with the similar 1D structured photoanode of DSSCs.