TiO2/SnO2复合空心球在染料敏化太阳能电池中的应用

采用模板辅助法制备了SnO2/TiO2复合空心球,样品直径为1.5~4.0μm,比表面积达到了92.9 m^2·g^-1,复合空心球表现出优越的光散射性能.以这种复合空心球作为染料敏化太阳能电池的光阳极,电池的光电转换效率可达到7.72%,高于SnO2微米球(2.70%)和TiO2微米球(6.26%).此外,以锐钛矿型TiO2纳米晶作为底层,SnO2/TiO2复合空心球作为光散射层制备的双层结构光阳极,电池光电转换效率进一步提升至8.43%.     

Nanoparticle self-assembled hollow TiO(2) spheres with well matching visible light scattering for high performance dye-sensitized solar cells

Submicrometer-sized hollow TiO(2) spheres are directly self-assembled from TiO(2) nanoparticles without using any template or surfactant as a scattering layer for dye-sensitized solar cells, showing good visible light scattering match to significantly improve the photoconversion efficiency.     

Synthesis, characterization, and optical properties of well-defined N-doped, hollow silica/titania hybrid microspheres

Well-defined nitrogen-doped, hollow SiO2/TiO2 hybrid spheres were successfully prepared through a two-step sol-gel synthesis combined calcination process using triethylamine as the nitrogen source. In this approach, polystyrene (PS)/silica microspheres were first synthesized. Subsequently, the amine-treated PS/SiO2/TiO2 hybrid spheres were obtained by sol-gel method. Finally, the elimination of the PS core, nitrogen-doping process, and crystallization of amorphous TiO2 were simultaneously conducted in the calcination process to acquire the final products. The as-prepared hybrid spheres were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The results of XRD, FTIR, and XPS spectra indicated that nitrogen was really doped into the anatase TiO2 shell and confirmed that most nitrogen dopants might be present in the chemical environments of N-Ti-O and Ti-N-O. It was found that the absorption shoulder of nitrogen-doped hollow SiO2/TiO2 hybrid spheres vastly shifted to the visible region up to around 530 nm. The photoluminescence (PL) bands showed spectral lines at about 421, 472, and 529 nm, which were attributed to the self-trapped excitons, F and F+ centers. Moreover, the intensity of the PL spectra band of hollow SiO2/TiO2 hybrid spheres increased with as the amount of titanium tetrabutoxide (TBOT) precursor increased. However, the doping of nitrogen into hollow SiO2/TiO2 hybrid spheres led to the drastic quenching of photoluminescence because of the increase in the separation efficiency of the photoinduced electron and hole pairs.     

分级微纳结构TiO2空心球的制备及其在DSSC中的应用

以钛酸四丁酯为钛源,无水乙醇为溶剂,通过碳球模板法制备出直径为200nm、壳厚20～25nm的TiO2空心球（HS）.通过X射线衍射（XRD）、透射电子显微镜（TEM）、扫描电子显微镜（SEM）和N2吸附脱附等对产物的形貌、晶相组成、孔结构和紫外-可见光谱性质进行了表征,结果显示所制备的锐钛矿相TiO2空心微球是由初级结构纳米级TiO2晶粒构成的.将这种TiO2空心球应用于染料敏化太阳电池（DSSC）领域可以提高光阳极对光的散射.通过制备P25/HS-TiO2双层膜电极,相比单纯的P25纳米晶电极（Jsc=13.5mAcm？2,Voc=0.653V,FF=0.53,η=4.95%）可以得到更高的光电转化效率（Jsc=15.79mAcm？2,Voc=0.653V,FF=0.55,η=6.66%）.     

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.     

Hollow silica spheres with an ordered pore structure and their application in controlled release studies

Herein we report the synthesis and characterization of hollow silica spheres with a narrow size distribution, uniform wall thickness, and a worm-like pore structure. The formation of these spheres was monitored by confocal laser scanning microscopy and dynamic light scattering. A model for the molecular build-up of these silica hollow spheres is derived from these data in combination with studies of the as-made particles by transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, pore size analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance. We further demonstrate that these spheres can be used for the encapsulation and subsequent release of different dye molecules.     

The formation of mesoporous TiO2 spheres via a facile chemical process

The mesoporous TiO(2) solid and hollow spheres have been synthesized via a controllable and simple chemical route. Structural characterization indicates that these TiO(2) mesoporous spheres after calcined at 500 degrees C have an obvious mesoporous structure with the diameters of 200-300 nm for solid spheres and 200-500 nm for hollow spheres. The average pore sizes and BET surface areas of the mesoporous TiO(2) solid and hollow spheres are 6.8, 7.0 nm and 162, 90 m(2)/g, respectively. Optical adsorption investigation shows that TiO(2) solid and hollow spheres possess a direct band gap structure with the optical band gap of 3.68 and 3.75 eV, respectively. A possible formation mechanism for TiO(2) solid and hollow spheres is discussed.     

Synthesis and photonic band calculations of NCP face-centered cubic photonic crystals of TiO2 hollow spheres

With the help of self-assembly, thermal sintering, selective etching techniques and sol-gel process, the non-close packed (ncp) face-centered cubic (fcc) photonic crystals of titanium dioxide (TiO2) hollow spheres connected by TiO2 cylindrical tubes have been fabricated using silica template. The photonic bandgap calculations indicate that the ncp structure of TiO2 hollow spheres was easier to open the pseudogaps than close packed system at the lowest energy.     

Efficient fabrication and enhanced photocatalytic activities of 3D-ordered films of titania hollow spheres

Facile and effective approaches were developed to fabricate 3D-ordered films of titania hollow spheres with different sphere diameters. The shell thickness of the sphere was adjusted in the range of 20-40 nm by changing the casting cycle of the titania precursor. The photonic stop band was observed for the 3D-ordered film and was tunable by the sphere diameter and the shell thickness. The stop band shifted from 930 to 547 nm. Crystal violet dye adsorbed on the film exhibited more than two times higher absorbance than that on a reference film of a flat titania layer, probably due to the red edge effect of the stop band and/or to the multiple scattering effect. The enhanced absorbance led to more efficient photodegradation of the dye under visible light and under solar light irradiation. A maximum photocatalytic enhancement of 22% is achieved. Finally, the influence of TiO2 morphology on photocatalytic activity was discussed. Compared with flat titania films, the existence of ordered macropores in titania spheres causes the stop band and a longer optical path due to multiple scattering. Both the red edge of the stop band and multiple scattering effects enhance the absorption of the dye, which results in the photocatalytic enhancement.     

中空TiO_2微球的制备及对聚丙烯酸酯薄膜性能的影响

采用阳离子聚苯乙烯微球作为模板,钛酸四丁酯为钛源,氨水为催化剂,制备了中空TiO_2微球.采用X射线衍射、扫描电镜及比表面测定仪对其形貌和结构进行了表征,并考察了模板粒径、钛源用量以及催化剂用量对中空TiO_2微球形貌的影响.通过物理共混法将其引入至聚丙烯酸酯乳液中并成膜,研究了复合薄膜的保温性能、抗紫外性能及力学性能.结果表明,锐钛矿相中空TiO_2微球模板粒径、钛源用量以及催化剂用量影响中空TiO_2微球的空心尺寸、壁厚及壳层致密性.中空TiO_2微球可显著提升聚丙烯酸酯薄膜的保温性能、抗紫外性能和力学性能.采用不同粒径的模板制备的中空TiO_2微球对复合薄膜的各项性能均有影响,其中模板粒径为140 nm时复合薄膜性能最优,光反射率提升63%,导热系数降低27%,且在波长小于360 nm范围内,紫外透过率几乎为0,抗张强度增加100%,断裂伸长率提升62%.     

A novel photoanode architecture of dye-sensitized solar cells based on TiO2 hollow sphere/nanorod array double-layer film

A novel TiO(2) double-layer (DL) film consisting of TiO(2) hollow spheres (HSs) as overlayer and single-crystalline TiO(2) nanorod arrays (RAs) as underlayer was designed as the photoanode of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). This new-typed TiO(2) HS/RA DL film could significantly improve the efficiency of DSSCs owing to its synergic effects, i.e. the relatively large specific surface area of TiO(2) HSs for effective dye adsorption, enhanced light harvesting capability originated from TiO(2) RA film, and rapid interfacial electron transport in one-dimensional TiO(2) nanorod arrays. The overall energy-conversion efficiency of 4.57% was achieved by the formation of TiO(2) DL film, which is 16% higher than that formed by TiO(2) HS film and far larger than that formed by TiO(2) RA film (η=0.99%). The light absorption and interfacial electron transport, which play important roles in the efficiency of DSSCs, were investigated by UV-vis absorption spectra and electrochemical impedance spectra.     

Microwave‐Hydrothermal Preparation and Visible‐Light Photoactivity of Plasmonic Photocatalyst Ag‐TiO2 Nanocomposite Hollow Spheres

Visible‐light‐driven plasmonic photocatalyst Ag‐TiO₂ nanocomposite hollow spheres are prepared by a template‐free chemically‐induced self‐transformation strategy under microwave‐hydrothermal conditions, followed by a photochemical reduction process under xenon lamp irradiation. The prepared samples are characterized by using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, N₂ adsorption‐desorption isotherms, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV/Vis and Raman spectroscopy. Production of ?OH radicals on the surface of visible‐light illuminated TiO₂ was detected by using a photoluminescence method with terephthalic acid as the probe molecule. The photocatalytic activity of as‐prepared samples was evaluated by photocatalytic decolorization of Rhodamine B (RhB) aqueous solution at ambient temperature under visible‐light irradiation. The results show that the surface plasmon absorption band of the silver nanoparticles supported on the TiO₂ hollow spheres was red shifted, and a strong surface enhanced Raman scattering effect for the Ag‐TiO₂ nanocomposite sample was observed. The prepared nanocomposite hollow spheres exhibits a highly visible‐light photocatalytic activity for photocatalytic degradation of RhB in water, and their photocatalytic activity is higher than that of pure TiO₂ and commercial Degussa P25 (P25) powders. Especially, the as‐prepared Ag‐TiO₂ nanocomposite hollow spheres at the nominal atomic ratio of silver to titanium ( R ) of 2 showed the highest photocatalytic activity, which exceeds that of P25 by a factor of more than 2.     

Easily manufactured TiO2 hollow fibers for quantum dot sensitized solar cells

TiO(2) hollow fibers with high surface area were manufactured by a simple synthesis method, using natural cellulose fibers as template. The effective light scattering properties of the hollow fibers, originating from their micron size, were observed by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. In spite of the micrometric length of the TiO(2) hollow fibers, the walls were highly porous and high surface area (78.2 m(2) g(-1)) was obtained by the BET method. TiO(2) hollow fibers alone and mixed with other TiO(2) pastes were sensitized with CdSe quantum dots (QDs) by Successive Ionic Layer Adsorption and Reaction (SILAR) and integrated as a photoanode in quantum dot sensitized solar cells (QDSCs). High power conversion efficiency was obtained, 3.24% (V(oc) = 503 mV, J(sc) = 11.92 mA cm(-2), FF = 0.54), and a clear correspondence of the cell performance with the photoanode structure was observed. The unique properties of these fibers: high surface area, effective light scattering, hollow structure to facile electrolyte diffusion and the rather high efficiencies obtained here suggest that hollow fibers can be introduced as promising nanostructures to make highly efficient quantum dot sensitized solar cells.     

A general approach to porous crystalline TiO2, SrTiO3, and BaTiO3 spheres

Monodispersed porous crystalline TiO(2), SrTiO(3), and BaTiO(3) spheres were produced through a one-step hydrothermal process from amorphous TiO(2) spheres. The resulting samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and nitrogen sorption measurements. On the basis of the characterization results, we proposed a formation process of these porous spheres according to a mechanism analogous to the Kirkendall effect. This study provides a general way to synthesize porous titania-based spheres.     

Synthesis and utilization of monodisperse hollow polymeric particles in photonic crystals

We developed a process to fabricate 150-700 nm monodisperse polymer particles with 100-500 nm hollow cores. These hollow particles were fabricated via dispersion polymerization to synthesize a polymer shell around monodisperse SiO(2) particles. The SiO(2) cores were then removed by HF etching to produce monodisperse hollow polymeric particle shells. The hollow core size and the polymer shell thickness, can be easily varied over significant size ranges. These hollow polymeric particles are sufficiently monodisperse that upon centrifugation from ethanol they form well-ordered close-packed colloidal crystals that diffract light. After the surfaces are functionalized with sulfonates, these particles self-assemble into crystalline colloidal arrays in deionized water. This synthetic method can also be used to create monodisperse particles with complex and unusual morphologies. For example, we synthesized hollow particles containing two concentric-independent, spherical polymer shells, and hollow silica particles which contain a central spherical silica core. In addition, these hollow spheres can be used as template microreactors. For example, we were able to fabricate monodisperse polymer spheres containing high concentrations of magnetic nanospheres formed by direct precipitation within the hollow cores.     

一锅法制备pH和热敏的P(NIPAM-co-AA)高分子空心球

基于N-异丙基丙烯酰胺(NIPAM)在高于PNIPAM的相转变温度时的沉淀聚合反应,利用在成核阶段形成的非交联的核为模板,然后在核的增长阶段加入交联剂N,N′-亚甲基双丙烯酰胺(BMA)和丙烯酸(AA)使得核周围形成一层交联的P(NIPAM-co-AA)共聚物壳层,降温至相转变温度以下使得非交联的PNIPAM核解散并自发地从交联的壳层扩散出来,得到具有温度和pH敏感性的P(NIPAM-co-AA)空心球.透射电镜结果表明该微球具有中空结构.利用光散射在不同pH值和温度条件下对该空心球进行了表征,结果表明,P(NIPAM-co-AA)空心球对pH值和温度具有良好的响应能力.     

Sonochemical Preparation of Hierarchical ZnO Hollow Spheres for Efficient Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells

Hierarchical ZnO hollow spheres (400–500 nm in diameter) consisting of ZnO nanoparticles with a diameter of approximately 15 nm have been successfully prepared by a facile and rapid sonochemical process. The formation of hierarchical ZnO hollow spheres is attributed to the oriented attachment and subsequent Ostwald ripening process according to time‐dependent experiments. The as‐prepared ZnO hollow spheres are used as a photoanode in dye‐sensitized solar cells and exhibit a highly efficient power conversion efficiency of 4.33 %, with a short‐circuit current density of 9.56 mA cm^?2, an open‐circuit voltage of 730 mV, and a fill factor of 0.62 under AM 1.5 G one sun (100 mW cm^?2) illumination. Moreover, the photovoltaic performance (4.33 %) using the hierarchical ZnO hollow spheres is 38.8 % better than that of a ZnO nanoparticle photoelectrode (3.12 %), which is mainly attributed to the efficient light scattering for the former.     

Large-scale fabrication of TiO2 hierarchical hollow spheres

In this Communication, we report the fabrication of well-crystallized rutile-phase TiO2 hollow spheres using potassium titanium oxalate as the precursor. The spheres exhibited unique three-dimensional hierarchical architectures and demonstrated a significantly improved photocatalytic performance. The synthetic strategy used in this process represents a general approach and therefore may contribute to the formation mechanisms of hollow nanostructures.     

改进型溶胶-凝胶法制备粒径可调高染料吸附量TiO2微球及其在染敏电池光散射层中的应用

利用改进型的溶胶-凝胶法, 制得了由锐钛矿相纳米颗粒组成的TiO₂多孔微纳小球。通过调节前驱物浓度, 合成出粒径可控的尺寸分别为100, 175, 225, 475 nm的TiO₂微纳小球, 并通过电泳沉积法将合成出的小球作为光散射层引入到染料敏化太阳电池(DSSC)中。由于这种微纳小球在具备良好的光散射性能的同时也具备较高的染料吸附量, 因此相较于基于纳米颗粒的单层结构的DSSC拥有更高的光电转换效率。通过比较分析, 粒径尺寸为475 nm的微球作为光散射层的DSSC光电转换效率可以达到6.3%, 较之于基于纳米颗粒的DSSC提高了30%。     

改进型溶胶-凝胶法制备粒径可调高染料吸附量TiO2微球及其在染敏电池光散射层中的应用

利用改进型的溶胶-凝胶法,制得了由锐钛矿相纳米颗粒组成的TiO2多孔微纳小球。通过调节前驱物浓度,合成出粒径可控的尺寸分别为100,175,225,475 nm的TiO2微纳小球,并通过电泳沉积法将合成出的小球作为光散射层引入到染料敏化太阳电池(DSSC)中。由于这种微纳小球在具备良好的光散射性能的同时也具备较高的染料吸附量,因此相较于基于纳米颗粒的单层结构的DSSC拥有更高的光电转换效率。通过比较分析,粒径尺寸为475 nm的微球作为光散射层的DSSC光电转换效率可以达到6.3%,较之于基于纳米颗粒的DSSC提高了30%。