TiO2 Nanorod Arrays Sensitized with CdS Quantum Dots for Solar Cell Applications: Effects of Rod Geometry on Photoelectrochemical Performance

CdS quantum dot (QD) sensitized TiO2 nanorod array (NRA) film electrodes with different rod geometries were fabricated via a solvothermal route followed by a sequentialchemical bath deposition (S-CBD) process. By controlling the solution growth conditions, the rod geometries, especially the tip structures, of the TiO2 NRAs were tuned. The results indicated that the vertically aligned hierarchical NRAs possessed conically shaped tip geometry, which was favorable for film electrodes due to the reduced reflectance, enhanced light harvesting, fast charge-carrier separation and transfer, suppression of carrier recombination, sufficient electrolyte penetration and subsequent efficient QD assembly. CdS QD sensitized TiO2 NRA film electrodes with tapered tips exhibited an enhanced photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance, a photocurrent intensity of 5.13 mA/cm2 at a potential of 0 V vs. saturated calomel electrode, an open-circuit potential of −0.68 V vs. saturated calomel electrode and an incident photon to current conversion efficiency (IPCE) of 22% in the visible-light region from 400 to 500 nm. The effects of rod geometry on the optical absorption, reflectance, hydrophilic properties and PEC performance of bare TiO2 and CdS QD sensitized TiO2 NRA film electrodes were investigated. The mechanism of charge-carrier generation and transfer in these CdS QD sensitized solar cells based on vertically aligned TiO2 nanorods is discussed.