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Sol–gel approach for the growth of vertically aligned 3D-TiO2 nanorod arrays as an efficient photoanode for high-performance dye-sensitized solar cells

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Abstract

In this study, a facile, low cost, and scalable sol–gel method has been proposed for the coating of ultra-thin layer of TiO2 on FTO substrate as a seed layer for the growth of 3D-TiO2 nanorod (3D-TiO2-NR) arrays on FTO. Then, the two-step hydrothermal process including nanorod growth and the chemical etching treatment was proceeded for the fabrication of FTO/3D-TiO2-NR photoanodes. The thickness of the deposited TiO2 in FTO/TiO2-sg samples was measured with small-angle X-ray scattering technique, and it was obtained to be 21.3 nm. FE-SEM and TEM techniques were used for the morphological characterization of 3D-TiO2-NR, and it was obtained that the tightly adhered film of vertically aligned 3D-TiO2-NR with two-layer nanostructuring is formed with a cubic base and a nanorods head. Finally, DSSCs with iodine-based and cobalt(II/III) tris(2,2′-bipyridine) complex-based electrolytes with two different photoanodes including 3D-TiO2-NR and TiO2-NP were assembled and their photovoltaic characteristics were investigated. For [Co(bpy)3]2+/3+ shuttle-based DSSC, the obtained power conversion efficiency (η) was about 3.5% with Jsc of 9.36 mA cm−2 in 3D-TiO2-NR-based DSSC, while η of TiO2-NP-based DSSC was about 1.4%. The results showed that employing 3D-TiO2-NR-based photoanode in DSSCs with bulky electron shuttles remarkably improves the photovoltaic characteristics of DSSCs. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopic studies also showed the lower charge transfer resistances for DSSCs with nanorod-based photoanode building blocks.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Research Council of Alzahra University for financial support (Grant No. 1397). A special thanks go to Dr. Simon Welzmiller and Dr. Sascha Correll (STOE Company, Germany) for their small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements and valuable discussions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Physics & Chemistry, Alzahra University, P.O. Box 1993893973, Tehran, Iran

    Zhila Khakpour, Mohaddeseh Tavassoli & Omran Moradlou

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  1. Zhila Khakpour
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  2. Mohaddeseh Tavassoli
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  3. Omran Moradlou
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Correspondence to Omran Moradlou.

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Khakpour, Z., Tavassoli, M. & Moradlou, O. Sol–gel approach for the growth of vertically aligned 3D-TiO2 nanorod arrays as an efficient photoanode for high-performance dye-sensitized solar cells. J IRAN CHEM SOC 17, 881–891 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13738-019-01821-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13738-019-01821-0

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