A General Preparation Strategy for Hybrid TiO₂ Hierarchical Spheres and Their Enhanced Solar Energy Utilization Efficiency

A new composite structure of TiO2|ZnO:Ti|ZnO effective for improving charge separation and electron transport is demonstrated for solar energy applications. A prototype material of hybrid TiO2/ZnO hollow spheres is prepared by a hydrated-salt assisted solvothermal (HAS) strategy. This material is applied as a photocatalyst and an anode material for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Enhanced solar energy utilization efficiencies can be observed. Detailed facts of importance to specialist readers are published as ”Supporting Information”. Such documents are peer-reviewed, but not copy-edited or typeset. They are made available as submitted by the authors. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.