TiO2 hierarchical nanostructures: Hydrothermal fabrication and application in dye-sensitized solar cells

Arrays of TiO2 hierarchical nanostructures that consisted of rutile nanorods and anatase branches were hydrothermally fabricated and employed as photoanodes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Each hierarchical nanostructure array was attained in two steps. First, a primary nanorod array was synthesized in aqueous solutions of hydrochloric acid (HCl) and tetrabutyl titanate (C16H36O4Ti); subsequently, secondary branches were grown on the nanorods in aqueous solutions of ammonium hexafluorotitanate ((NH4)2TiF6) and boric acid (H3BO3). The secondary anatase branches filled part of the space among the primary rutile nanorods and gave rise to a larger surface area. Light-harvesting capability of the DSSCs with TiO2 hierarchical nanostructures as photoanodes was appreciably improved because more dye molecules could be loaded on the photoanodes and more light could be scattered inside the DSSCs. Therefore, the conversion efficiencies of the DSSCs were doubled by replacing the photoanode of primary TiO2 nanorod array with the photoanodes of TiO2 hierarchical nanostructure arrays. Furthermore, in order to reach a compromise between the photoanode surface area and the inter-nanorod space volume, the growth time of the secondary TiO2 anatase branches was optimized.