Hierarchical oriented anatase TiO2 nanostructure arrays on flexible substrate for efficient dye-sensitized solar cells

Abstract

The vertically oriented anatase single crystalline TiO2 nanostructure arrays (TNAs) consisting of TiO2 truncated octahedrons with exposed {001} facets or hierarchical TiO2 nanotubes (HNTs) consisting of numerous nanocrystals on Ti-foil substrate were synthesized via a two-step hydrothermal growth process. The first step hydrothermal reaction of Ti foil and NaOH leads to the formation of H-titanate nanowire arrays, which is further performed the second step hydrothermal reaction to obtain the oriented anatase single crystalline TiO2 nanostructures such as TiO 2 nanoarrays assembly with truncated octahedral TiO2 nanocrystals in the presence of NH 4 F aqueous or hierarchical TiO2 nanotubes with walls made of nanocrystals in the presence of pure water. Subsequently, these TiO2 nanostructures were utilized to produce dye-sensitized solar cells in a backside illumination pattern, yielding a significant high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 4.66% (TNAs, J SC = 7.46 mA cm-2, VOC = 839 mV, FF = 0.75) and 5.84% (HNTs, JSC = 10.02 mA cm-2, VOC = 817 mV, FF = 0.72), respectively.