Facile synthesis of TiO2 inverse opal electrodes for dye-sensitized solar cells

Engineering of TiO(2) electrode layers is critical to guaranteeing the photoconversion efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Recently, a novel approach has been introduced for producing TiO(2) electrodes using the inverted structures of colloidal crystals. This paper describes a facile route to producing ordered macroporous electrodes from colloidal crystal templates for DSSCs. Using concentrated colloids dispersed in a volatile medium, the colloidal crystal templates were obtained within a few minutes, and the thickness of the template was easily controlled by changing the quantity of colloidal solution deposited. Here, the effects of the structural properties of the inverse opal TiO(2) electrodes on the photovoltaic parameters of DSSCs were investigated. The photovoltaic parameters were measured as a function of pore ordering and electrode film thickness. Moreover, DSSC applications that used either liquid or viscous polymer electrolyte solutions were investigated to reveal the effects of pore size on performance of an inverse opal TiO(2) electrode.     

Preparation, photocatalytic activities, and dye-sensitized solar-cell performance of submicron-scale TiO2 hollow spheres

We prepared submicron-scale spherical hollow particles of anatase TiO2 by using a polystyrene-bead template. The obtained particles were very uniform in size, with a diameter of 490 nm and a shell thickness of 30 nm. The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area measurements revealed a large value of 70 m2/g. The photocatalytic property was investigated by the complete decomposition of gaseous isopropyl alcohol under UV irradiation. It was indicated that the activity of the hollow spheres was 1.8 times higher than that of the conventional P25 TiO2 nanoparticles with a diameter of 30 nm. Furthermore, we fabricated a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) using an electrode of the TiO2 hollow spheres, and examined the photovoltaic performance under simulated sunlight. Although the per-area efficiency was rather low (1.26%) because of a low area density of TiO2 on the electrode, the per-weight efficiency was 2.5 times higher than those of the conventional DSCs of TiO2.     

Bilayer inverse opal TiO2 electrodes for dye-sensitized solar cells via post-treatment

We investigated the formation of bilayer inverse opal TiO(2) (io-TiO(2)) structures via post-treatment with a TiO(2) precursor solution and characterized the photovoltaic performances of the resulting electrodes for use in dye-sensitized solar cells. The post-treatment of TiO(2) inverse opals in a precursor solution grew rutile TiO(2) nanoparticles on anatase crystalline phase io-TiO(2) surfaces, resulting in anatase/rutile bilayer structures. We achieved a maximum photovoltaic conversion efficiency of 4.6% using a 25 μm thick electrode formed with the post-treated io-TiO(2) under simulated AM 1.5 light. This efficiency represents a 183% improvement over the non-post-treated io-TiO(2) electrodes. The shell thickness was controlled by the post-treatment time. The effects of shell thickness on photovoltaic performance were investigated by measuring the morphologies and electrochemical impedance of the post-treated io-TiO(2). We found that post-treatment up to a certain period of time increased the surface area and electron lifetime, but further treatment resulted in decreased area and saturated lifetimes. The optimal post-treatment time was identified, and the optimal io-TiO(2) electrodes were characterized.     

马来酸在束状TiO2阳极氧化膜上的电催化还原

采用阳极氧化法在0.5 mol·L-1硫酸+1 mol·L-1马来酸的混合溶液中制得了束状TiO2薄膜. X射线衍射(XRD)分析表明样品的晶型结构主要为无定形态; 所制得的样品通过原子力显微镜(AFM)观察, 束状结构TiO2的宽度约2-5 μm, 长度超过20 μm, 束状结构中包含的纳米棒直径约80-150 nm. 将制得的束状TiO2膜电极在上述混合溶液中直接进行原位的循环伏安扫描和恒电流电解实验. 研究结果表明, 马来酸在该电极表面异相电催化还原生成丁二酸; 在恒电流电解过程中采用电极原位活化可明显提高丁二酸的产率和电流效率, 并指出改进电极的原位活化技术是未来研究工作的主要目标.     

马来酸在束状TiO2阳极氧化膜上的电催化还原

采用阳极氧化法在0.5 mol·L-1硫酸+1 mol·L-1马来酸的混合溶液中制得了束状TiO2薄膜.X射线衍射(XRD)分析表明样品的晶型结构主要为无定形态;所制得的样晶通过原子力显微镜(AFM)观察,束状结构TiO2的宽度约2-5μm,长度超过20μm,束状结构中包含的纳米棒直径约80-150 nm.将制得的束状TiO2膜电极在上述混合溶液中直接进行原位的循环伏安扫描和恒电流电解实验.研究结果表明,马来酸在该电极表面异相电催化还原生成丁二酸;在恒电流电解过程中采用电极原位活化可明显提高丁二酸的产率和电流效率,并指出改进电极的原位活化技术是未来研究工作的主要目标.     

Control of TiO2 structures from robust hollow microspheres to highly dispersible nanoparticles in a tetrabutylammonium hydroxide solution

A new process for controlling the structure of TiO2 from hollow microspheres to highly dispersible nanoparticles has been developed by altering the concentration of tetrabutylammonium hydroxide (TBAH) in the solvothermal reaction of titanium isopropoxide. Robust and size-controllable hollow TiO2 microspheres, constructed by the assembly of 18 nm TiO2 nanoparticles, were synthesized at relatively high TBAH concentration. The diameters of hollow spheres, with a shell thickness of approximately 250 nm, were controlled to 1.5-4 microm by varying the concentration of TBAH in the range of 0.1-0.5 M. After calcination at 450 degrees C, the hollow microspheres were not appreciably deformed and were still floating on the surface of the water. However, highly dispersible TiO2 nanoparticles with an average diameter of 13 nm were obtained at a low TBAH concentration such as 9.2 mM. The colloidal particle size of TiO2 in an aqueous suspension at pH 2 was 12.5-13.5 nm, which indicates that the each nanoparticle is completely separated. The overall procedure is simple and highly reproducible, and large-scale synthesis is available at low cost.     

具有多级孔的SAPO-34-H分子筛的合成与表征

以一种多功能长链有机硅为唯一硅源合成了多级孔材料SAPO-34-H(Hierarchical),并对其结构和性质进行了表征.氮气吸附和透射电镜(TEM)照片显示,SAPO-34-H样品不仅拥有常规的微孔体系,还有孔径在5.1nm左右的介孔体系.氨气程序升温脱附表征(NH3-TPD)结果显示,与传统的SAPO-34相比,该材料在引入介孔的同时酸性有所降低.     

透明TiO2纳米管/FTO电极制备及表征

采用射频磁控溅射方法在透明导电玻璃(FTO)上沉积纯钛薄膜, 室温条件下在H3PO4+HF电解液中通过恒压阳极氧化方法得到TiO2纳米管阵列, 并通过场发射扫描电子显微镜(FESEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)、UV-Vis透射光谱以及光电化学的方法对纳米管阵列进行了表征. 研究表明, 在电压为20 V、氧化时间为50 min时, 钛薄膜转化为TiO2纳米管阵列, 管长约为380 nm, 内径约为90 nm, 管壁约为15 nm; 再经过500 ℃空气热处理6 h之后得到锐钛矿型的TiO2纳米管/FTO透明电极, 在可见光区的平均透过率约为80%, TiO2禁带宽度为3.28 eV, 发生了蓝移, 带尾扩展到2.6 eV; 此外, 对结晶前后的复合电极分别在暗态和紫外光下进行线性扫描和瞬态光电流测试, 结果表明, 结晶的电极表现出更好的光电转换性能; 施加阳极电压和紫外光照射都能够促进TiO2光生载流子有效分离,使电子迅速传至导电玻璃表面通过外电路形成光电流.     

Comparison of electrode structures and photovoltaic properties of porphyrin-sensitized solar cells with TiO2 and Nb, Ge, Zr-added TiO2 composite electrodes

Electrode structures and photovoltaic properties of porphyrin-sensitized solar cells with TiO2 and Nb-, Ge-, and Zr-added TiO2 composite electrodes were examined to disclose the effects of partial substitution of Ti atom by the other metals in the composite electrodes. The TiO2 and Nb-, Ge-, and Zr-added TiO2 composite electrodes were prepared by sol-gel process using laurylamine hydrochloride as a template for the formation of micellar precursors yielding well-defined mesoporous nanocrystalline structures, as in the cases of the formation of silica and titania tubules and nanoparticles by the templating mechanism. The TiO2 and Nb-, Ge-, and Zr-added TiO2 composite electrodes were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, BET surface area analysis, X-ray diffraction analysis, Raman spectroscopy, and impedance measurements. The TiO2 anatase nanocrystalline structure is retained after doping a small amount (5 mol %) of Nb, Ge, or Zr into the TiO2 structure, suggesting the homogeneous distribution of the doped metals with replacing Ti atom by the doped metal. The power conversion efficiency of the porphyrin-sensitized solar cells increases in the order Zr-added TiO2 (0.8%) < Nb-added TiO2 (1.2%) < TiO2 (2.0%) < Ge-added TiO2 cells (2.4%) under the same conditions. The improvement of cell performance of the Ge-added TiO2 cell results from the negative shift of the conduction band of the Ge-added TiO2 electrode. The Ge-added TiO2 cell exhibited a maximum power conversion efficiency of 3.5% when the porphyrin was adsorbed onto the surface of the Ge-added TiO2 electrode with a thickness of 4 microm in MeOH for 1 h.     

TiO2纳米片/巢状分级结构纳米阵列薄膜的制备及其在染料敏化太阳能电池中的应用

采用水热合成法在氟掺杂二氧化锡(FTO)导电玻璃基底上得到TiO2纳米阵列薄膜,并进一步通过NaOH溶液水热处理制备了由巢状纳米阵列及纳米片覆盖层构成的TiO2纳米阵列分级结构一体化薄膜.采用场发射扫描电镜(FE-SEM),X射线衍射(XRD),紫外-可见(UV-Vis)漫反射光谱和吸收光谱技术对TiO2薄膜的结构和性质进行表征.FE-SEM结果表明:分级结构TiO2薄膜膜厚为1.5μm,薄膜由一层纳米片覆盖层(约0.2μm高)和一层巢状纳米阵列层(约1.3μm高)组成.XRD谱图表明TiO2薄膜为锐钛矿相.UV-Vis光谱显示分级结构TiO2薄膜具有较强的光捕获能力和染料吸附能力.TiO2纳米片/巢状分级结构纳米阵列薄膜作为光阳极,可有效地提高染料敏化太阳能电池的光电转换效率,其短路电流(Jsc)为7.79mA·cm-2,开路电压(Voc)为0.80V,填充因子(FF)为0.40,光电转换效率(η)为2.48%,其光电转换效率较TiO2纳米阵列薄膜提高了近10倍.     

One-step fabrication and high photocatalytic activity of porous TiO2 hollow aggregates by using a low-temperature hydrothermal method without templates

Porous TiO2 hollow aggregates have been synthesized on a large scale by means of a simple hydrothermal method without using any templates. The as-prepared products were characterized by means of field emission scanning electron microscopy, XRD, TEM, nitrogen adsorption, UV/Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and FTIR spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity of the aggregates was demonstrated through the photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B. Structural characterization indicates that the porous TiO2 aggregates are 500-800 nm in diameter and display mesoporous structure. The average pore sizes and BET surface areas of the aggregates are 12 nm and 168 m2 g-1, respectively. Optical adsorption investigations show that the aggregates possess an optical band-gap energy of 3.36 eV. The as-prepared products were substantially more effective photocatalysts than the commercially available photocatalyst P25. The dye degradation rate of the porous TiO2 hollow aggregates is more than twice that of P25. The high photoactivities of the aggregates can be attributed to the combined effects of several factors, namely, large surface areas, the existence of mesopores, and the high band-gap energy. In addition, the as-prepared products can be easily recycled.     

基于二级结构TiO_2纳米晶光阳极的高效染料敏化太阳能电池

本文报道了一种新型的二级结构TiO2纳米晶(nano-TiO2)光阳极的简单制备方法及其在高效染料敏化太阳能电池中的应用.通过添加适量TiCl4异丙醇溶液到传统nano-TiO2浆料中,可生成微米级nano-TiO2聚集体.该二级结构能有效提高光阳极光谱吸收和散射性能及电子传输和收集效率.基于这种结构光阳极的染料敏化太阳能电池光电性能有显著提高.在光阳极中将6μm厚传统nano-TiO2膜用相同厚度nano-TiO2聚集体替换,电池光电转换效率由5.03%提高到7.30%.进一步增加nano-TiO2聚集体的厚度能制备出更高光电转换效率的电池.     

N3敏化Ho3+离子修饰TiO2纳米晶电极的光电化学性质

研究了Ho3+离子表面修饰对TiO2纳米晶电极光电性能的影响. TiO2表面氧化钬的存在一方面降低了染料和TiO2之间的电子注入速率, 而另一方面它也能够抑制电荷复合. 结果表明, 在TiO2纳米晶薄膜表面修饰一定厚度的Ho3+离子层, 在电极表面就形成了一个势垒, 能够有效抑制电极表面的电荷复合, 从而提高了染料敏化太阳能电池的光电压和光电转化效率. 在93.1 mW·cm-2白光照射下, TiO2/Ho-0.1 和TiO2/Ho-0.2(0.1 和0.2分别是修饰TiO2电极的Ho3+溶液的浓度, 单位是mol·L-1)两个电极的光电转化效率分别达到8.3%和7.6%, 与TiO2电极(7.2%)比较, 分别增大了15%和5%.     

Effect of thickness on the capacitive behavior and stability of ultrathin polyaniline for high speed super capacitors

In this work four polyaniline (PANI) film electrode with different thickness were synthesized by electrochemical method on the surface of glassy carbon (GC) electrode. Four polymer films with various thicknesses from 0.5 to 11 μm were synthesized. Electropolymerization occurs in low monomer concentration. Morphology study of electrode shows that surface structure of polymers depends on film thickness. Capacitance of electrode was studied by CV and charge-discharge (CD) methods. Specific capacitance (SC) of electrodes using cyclic voltammetry were calculated 620, 247 F g^–1 for thinnest and thickest polymer film, respectively. Stability of electrodes was studied during 1000 voltammogram cycles. Results show that with the increase of thickness the stability of electrodes enhanced and reach to a maximum and then decreased.     

Ellipsoidal TiO2 hierarchitectures with enhanced photovoltaic performance

Hierarchical TiO(2) ellipsoids 250-500 nm in size have been synthesized on a large scale by a template-free hydrothermal route. The submicrometer-sized hierarchitectures are assembled from highly crystallized anatase nanorods about 17 nm in diameter with macroporous cavities on the outer shells. Based on the time-dependent morphological evolution under hydrothermal conditions, an oriented attachment process is proposed to explain formation of the hierarchical structures. Such hierarchical TiO(2) not only adsorbs large amounts of dye molecules due to high surface area, but also shows good light scattering caused by the submicrometer size. The TiO(2) hierarchitectures were deposited on top of a transparent TiO(2) nanocrystalline main layer to construct a double-layered photoanode for dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) application, exhibiting enhanced light harvesting and power-conversion efficiency compared to a commercial TiO(2)-based electrode.     

N,N′-对羧苄基吲哚三菁敏化纳米TiO2电极的研究

应用光电化学方法研究了N, N′-对羧苄基吲哚三菁（Cy5）染料敏化TiO2纳米晶电极的光电化学行为,优化了敏化的条件.结合Cy5的循环伏安曲线和光吸收阈值,初步确定Cy5电子基态和激发态能级位置.结果表明,Cy5电子激发态能级位置能与TiO2纳米粒子导带边位置相匹配,因而使用该染料敏化可以显著提高TiO2纳米晶的光电流,使TiO2纳米晶电极吸收波长由紫外光区红移至可见光区和近红外区,光电转换效率得到明显改善,在膜厚为6.5μm、敏化时间为6 h的条件下IPCE值（incident photo-to-electricity conversion efficiency）最高可达46.4％,总的光电转换效率η为1.70％.     

纳米结构TiO2/SiO2的逐层自组装

采用逐层自组装方法在二氧化硅球表面交替组装了十二烷基硫酸钠单分子膜和二氧化钛纳米粒子膜 ,该复合多层膜经高温煅烧后得到了核壳型纳米结构二氧化钛 /二氧化硅复合颗粒 .利用XRD ,SEM ,X射线能谱等对复合颗粒进行了表征 .结果表明 :二氧化钛在复合颗粒表面排列紧密、均匀 ,粒径在 5 0nm左右 ,为锐钛矿型结构 .复合颗粒中二氧化钛的含量随组装层数的增加而均匀增加     

Highly-ordered dye-sensitized TiO2 nanotube arrays film used for improving photoelectrochemical electrodes

Thin titanium oxide nanotube arrays (TNAs) films were synthesized by anodization of titanium foil in an aqueous dimethyl sulfoxide solution using a platinum foil counter electrode.TNAs up to 6.8 μm in length,120 nm in inner pore diameter,and 20 nm in wall thickness were obtained by 40 V potentials anodization for 24 h.Their microstructures and surface morphologies were characterized by XRD,TEM,SAED and UV-vis spectroscopy.The photoelectrochemical properties of as-prepared unsensitized and dye-sensitized TNAs electrodes were examined under simulated solar light (AM 1.5,100 mW/cm2) illumination.The results showed that the photocurrent of the dye-sensitized TNAs electrodes reached 6.9 mA/cm2,which was 6 times more than that of the dye-sensitized TiO2 nanoparticles (TNPs) electrodes.It implied that the electron transport process and the charge recombination suppression within TNAs electrodes were much more favorable in comparison with that in the TNPs electrodes.Electrodes applying such kind of titania nanotubes will have a potential to further enhance the efficiencies of TNAs-based dye-sensitized solar cells.     

Role of nanochemical environments in porous TiO2 in photocurrent efficiency and degradation in dye sensitized solar cells

Elongated dye sensitized solar cells with a thickness gradient of the nanoporous TiO2 front electrode were used to assess the impact of the layer thickness on photocurrent and degradation. The photocurrent efficiency passes through a maximum (in our case at about 12 microm). Interestingly, the degradation rate also strongly depends on the layer thickness and is about 3 times faster for a 15-microm cell (in comparison with a 1-microm cell). To explain these nonanticipated results, a model to describe the I3(-)/I- concentration within a typical dye sensitized solar cell under steady-state conditions was derived. It includes the nanoporous TiO2 layer and a bulk solution with their different mobilities for the electrolyte species. Using typical parameters from the literature, it turned out that, despite the fact that the initial I- concentration is about 1 order of magnitude larger and the assumed diffusion coefficient is 1.3 times higher, the depletion of the I- concentration at the TiO2/FTO front contact happens to be in the same range as the depletion of the I3(-) concentration at the back contact. This stresses the importance of iodide in nanoporous environments for both the maximum attainable photocurrent and its role in the regeneration of the oxidized dye. Enhanced degradation rates might be related to poor iodide supply, since the oxidized state cannot be regenerated efficiently.     

Long TiO2 hollow fibers with mesoporous walls: sol-gel combined electrospun fabrication and photocatalytic properties

Long TiO2 hollow fibers with mesoporous walls have been fabricated with the sol-gel combined two-capillary spinneret electrospinning technique using a triblock copolymer (Pluronic, P123, (H(C2H5O)20(C3H7O)70 (C2H5O)20OH) as a pore-directing agent. The as-prepared hollow fibers were as long as 30 cm with an outer diameter of 0.1-4 microm and wall thickness of 60-500 nm. The diameters and wall thicknesses of the hollow fibers could be tuned by adjusting the electrospinning parameters. The fiber walls were composed of mesopores 6.7 nm in diameter as calculated from the N2 adsorption/desorption isotherm. The high-resolution TEM (HR-TEM) images exhibited that the mesopores were hexagonally aligned with a low order because of the curving of the pores. When comparing with other nanostructured TiO2 materials such as commercial TiO2 nanoparticles (P25, Degussa) and mesoporous TiO2 powders, the hollow fibers exhibited higher photocatalytic activities toward degradation of methylene blue and gaseous formaldehyde.