Synthesis of nano-TiO2 assisted by diethylene glycol for use in high efficiency dye-sensitized solar cells

The performance of dye-sensitized solar cells(DSSCs) consisting of anatase TiO_2 nanoparticles that were synthesized via a hydrothermal method was studied.The synthesized TiO_2 nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD),nitrogen sorption analysis,scanning electron microscopy(SEM),high resolution transmission electron microscopy(HRTEM),and UV-vis spectroscopy.Then the J-Vcurve,electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS),and open-circuit voltage decay(OCVD) measurement were applied to evaluate the photovoltaic performance of DSSCs.Compared with the commercial TiO_2nanoparticles(P25),the synthesized-TiO_2 nanoparticles showed better performance.By adding diethylene glycol(DEG) before the hydrothermal process,the synthesized TiO_2 nanoparticles(hereafter referred to as TiO_2-DEG particles) shows narrower size distribution,larger specific surface area,higher crystallinity,and less surface defects than TiO_2(DEG free) particles.The analysis of photovoltaic properties of DSSCs based on TiO_2-DEG particles showed that the recombination of electron-hole pairs was decreased and the trapping of carries in grain boundaries restrained.It was believed that the photoelectrode fabricated with the as-prepared TiO_2 nanoparticles improved the loading amount of dye sensitizers(N719).and enhanced the photocurrent of the DSSCs.As a result,the TiO_2-DEG particle based cells achieved a photo-to-electricity conversion efficiency(η) of 7.90%,which is higher than 7.53%for the cell based on TiO2(DEG free) and 6.59%for the one fabricated with P25.     

The role of n–p junction electrodes in minimizing the charge recombination and enhancement of photocurrent and photovoltage in dye sensitized solar cells

The composite electrode comprising n-type TiO₂ and p-type NiO oxides when sensitized with Ru-dye showed short-circuit photocurrent (I_sc) of 17 mA/cm² and open-circuit photovoltage (V_oc) of 730 mV compared to I_sc of 12 mA/cm² and 700 mV for TiO₂ electrodes. Formation of a n–p junction between TiO₂ and NiO oxide layers contributes to the enhanced photocurrent, photovoltage, fill factor and efficiency. In addition to the junction effect, NiO acts as a barrier for charge recombination leading to higher cell performance. The efficiency of the NiO coated TiO₂ solar cell is 30% more than that of bare TiO₂. The negative shift of the flat-band potential of the NiO coated TiO₂ electrode compared to TiO₂ also could be one of the reasons for higher photovoltage observed for TiO₂/NiO electrode. The highest cell efficiencies were obtained immersing TiO₂ thin films in Ni²⁺ solution and converting them to NiO by firing and the optimum NiO coating thickness was found to be only a few angstroms. The energy levels of the excited dye and the band positions of TiO₂ and NiO suggest that the electron transfer from the excited dye to the underlying n-type oxide layer occurs by tunneling through the p-type NiO layer.     

Molecular Design of TPD-based Organic A-π-D-π-A Dyes for Dye-sensitized Solar Cells

An interesitng class of organic A-π-D-π-A dyes based on an N,N,N′,N′-tetraphenylbenzidine(TPD) unit as donor was designed and synthesized for dye-sensitized solar cells(DSSCs). TPD-4-based DSSCs gave a short circuit photocurrent density(J_sc) of 16.67 mA/cm², a open circuit voltage(V_oc) of 0.635 V and a fill factor(ff) of 0.68, achieving a solar-to-electricity conversion efficiency(η) of 7.22% in preliminary tests. The N3-sensitized device gave an η value of 8.02% with a J_sc of 18.81 mA/cm², a V_oc of 0.630 V and an ff of 0.68 under the same conditions. The incident photo-to-current efficiency(IPCE) values above 70% observed in a range of 460 to 600 nm with a maximum value of 80% at 500 nm indicate that the TPD-4-based DSSC shows a high performance. Under the same conditions, the DSSC based on N3 provided the IPCE values above 70% in a range of 490 to 580 nm with a maximum value of 76% at 500 nm. Both further optimization of the device processing and structural modification of these dyes are anticipated to make the device give even better performances.     

Enhanced performance of ruthenium dye-sensitized solar cell by employing an organic co-adsorbent of N,N'-bis((pyridin-2-yl)(methyl) methylene)-o-phenylenediamine

A pyridine-anchor co-adsorbent of N,N'-bis((pyridin-2-yl)(methyl) methylene)-o-phenylenediamine(named BPPI) is prepared and employed as co-adsorbent in dye-sensitized solar cells(DSSCs). The prepared co-adsorbent could overcome the deficiency of N719 absorption in the low wavelength region of visible spectrum, offset competitive visible light absorption of I₃^-, enhance the spectral responses of the co-adsorbed TiO₂ film in region from 300 nm to 750 nm, suppress charge recombination, prolong electron lifetime, and decrease the total resistance of DSSCs. The optimized cell device co-sensitized by BPPI/N719 dye gives a short circuit current density of 12.98 mA cm^-2, an open circuit voltage of 0.73 V, and a fill factor of 0.66 corresponding to an overall conversion efficiency of 6.22% under standard global AM 1.5 solar irradiation, which is much higher than that of device solely sensitized by N719(5.29%) under the same conditions. Mechanistic investigations are carried out by various spectral and electrochemical characterizations.     

Highly Efficiency p-Type Dye Sensitized Solar Cells Based on Polygonal Star-morphology Cu2O Material of Photocathodes

Cuprous oxide（Cu2O）,as an important p-type semiconductor,has been widely investigated due to its high electron transmission and facile preparation.However,the electrode made of only Cu2O has been rarely investigated.In order to demonstrate the possibility that material Cu2O can be applied to the electrode of p-type dye sensitized solar cells（DSSCs）,the photo-electrodes made of prepared Cu2O powder and commercial Cu2O particles have been fabricated.The results show that the electrode based on as-prepared Cu2O（Cu2O-2） powder exhibits higher performance than that based on commercial Cu2O（Cu2O-1） particle.The device based on Cu2O-2 electrode reaches into an open-circuit voltage of 0.71 V,a short-circuit current density of 1.3 mA/cm^2,a fill factor（FF） of 46%,and a conversion efficiency of 0.42% measured under AM 1.5G（100 mW/cm^2） illumination.The enhancement performance of Cu2O-2 is attributed to the high dye adsorption of Cu2O-2 compared with that of Cu2O-1.To the best of our knowledge,this is the highest conversion efficiency value reported for solar cells based on Cu2O-DSSC.This work provides that Cu2O is also a candidate for constructing the electrode of p-type dye sensitized solar cells.     

Mixed-phase Mesoporous TiO2 Film for High Efficiency Perovskite Solar Cells

Mesoporous scaffold structures have played great roles in halide perovskite solar cells(PSCs),due to the excellent photovoltaic performance and commercial perspective of mesoporous PSCs.Here,we reported a mixed-phase TiO2 mesoporous film as an efficient electron transport layer(ETL)for mesoporous perovskite solar cells.Due to the improved crystal phase,fihn thickness and nanopartMe size of TiO2 layer,which were controlled by varying the one-step hydrothermal reaction time and annealing time,the PSCs exhibited an outstanding short circuit photocurrent density of 25.27 mA/cm^2,and a maximum power conversion efficiency(PCE)of 19.87%.It is found that the ultra-high Jsc attributes to the excellent film quality,light capturing and excellent electron transport ability of mixed-phase TiO2 mesoporous film.The results indicate that mix-phase mesoporous metal oxide fihns could be a promising candidate for producing effective ETLs and high efficiency PSCs.     

NiO/TiO2异质结构纳米管阵列膜对不锈钢的光生阴极保护及其储能性能

本工作通过修饰TiO₂制备半导体复合膜,提高其光吸收和光电化学性能,以期应用于光生阴极保护。先采用阳极氧化法在Ti表面制备TiO₂纳米管阵列膜,再应用水热处理法在膜表面沉积NiO纳米颗粒,形成具有异质结构纳米管复合膜。利用扫描电子显微镜、X-射线衍射、X-射线光电子能谱、紫外-可见吸收光谱、光致发光谱和光电化学技术对制备的纳米膜进行表征。结果表明,与纯TiO₂纳米管膜比较,NiO/TiO₂纳米管复合膜的光吸收扩展到可见光区。白光照射下,其在0.5 mol·L^?1 KOH和1 mol·L^?1 CH3OH混合液中的光电流密度达到176μA·cm^?2,是纯TiO₂纳米管膜的2倍。复合膜具有良好的光生阴极保护作用,与0.5 mol·L^?1 NaCl溶液中的403不锈钢耦连后,可使其电极电位下降440 mV,在光照2.5 h再转为暗态后,因具有电荷储存能力还可继续提供约15.5 h的阴极保护效应。     

Pd增强缺陷态TiO2纳米管阵列的光催化产氢性能

通过光还原沉积法, 利用氧空位诱导作用, 在Ni掺杂的缺陷态TiO₂纳米管阵列(TNT-Ni)上得到金属 Pd含量不同的Pd-TNT-Ni催化剂. 采用场发射扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、 X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、 紫外-可见 漫反射(UV-Vis DRS)、 表面光电压(SPV)、 光致发光光谱(PL)和电化学测试等表征手段, 探究了Pd与Ni掺杂的缺陷态TiO₂纳米管阵列之间的强相互作用对其光吸收特性和载流子分离及传输效率的影响, 阐明了强相互 作用对材料光催化活性的调控机理, 提出了Pd增强Pd-TNT-Ni光催化性能的作用机理. 结果表明, 通过光还 原法制备的Pd纳米颗粒尺寸为10~20 nm的Pd₁₂₀-TNT-Ni样品的光响应值为4.22 mA/cm², 是未负载Pd样品光 响应值(1.14 mA/cm²)的3.7倍, 其具有最佳的平均产氢速率(5.16 mmol·g^?1·h^?1), 是TNT样品平均产氢速率 (0.45 mmol·g^?1·h^?1)的12倍, 表明Pd与缺陷态TiO₂纳米管阵列之间的强相互作用驱动了载流子的分离及传输, 且Pd作为电子捕获势阱及反应活性位点, 显著提高了材料的光催化性能.     

大面积全柔性染料敏化太阳能电池光电性能优化

设计并制作了大面积高效全柔性染料敏化太阳能电池（DSCs）.通过引入光散射层或施加机械压力,DSCs的光电转化效率有了大幅度提高.实验室小面积（0.4 cm×0.4 cm）柔性DSCs的光电转化效率达到5.50%.大面积（2 cm×3 cm,活性面积为2.7 cm²）DSCs的光电转化效率从未进行处理的1.52%上升到1.81%和2.50%,分别提高了20.0%和66.7%.5 cm×7 cm面积的DSCs（活性面积为16.2 cm²）的光是转化效率在未做任何优化处理的条件下达到了1.60%(光强40 mW·cm^-2).同时,本文对提高光电转化效率的机理进行了深入研究.电化学阻抗测试结果表明,加压法能明显减小电池的内部串联电阻（R_s）及TiO₂/染料/电解液界面间的传荷电阻(R_ct).扫描电镜结果也显示加压后TiO₂粒子之间粘结更加紧密,更利于电子在TiO₂薄膜中的传输及染料的吸附.另外,900 h的长期稳定性实验结果表明,制作的柔性DSCs的各项光电性能参数均无明显下降.该实验结果为柔性染料敏化太阳能电池的基础研究和大面积产业化技术研究奠定了基础.     

Bilayer Structured Nanowire-array and Nanotube-cluster TiO2 Photoanode for Efficient Dye-sensitized Solar Cells

Nanowire-array nanotube-cluster bilayer TiO₂ films, consisting of nanowire-array at the bottom layer and nanotube-cluster at the top layer were prepared via a two-step hydrothermal method. One step was a growth process and the other was an etching process. Etching process was used to acquire nanowire-array with a small diameter of 20-25 nm of the nanowire and nanotube-cluster. The bilayer nanostructured films were then modified with TiCl₄. Villous TiO₂ attached to both the inside and outside walls of the nanotube cluster was obtained only by changing the traditional concentration of TiCl₄-treatment to 0.2 mol/L. The novel bilayer photoanode finally revealed a higher efficiency of 5.25% when used in dye-sensitized solar cells(DSSCs).     

Regulating Phase Junction and Oxygen Vacancies of TiO2 Nanoarrays for Boosted Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation

In this study, we have provided a facile solution to synthesize well-aligned titanium dioxide nanorods by using hydrothermal reaction. By calcining the materials under different atmospheres and temperatures, a batch of titanium dioxides with excellent oxygen evolution reaction(OER) catalytic efficiency were obtained. This new structured TiO₂ photoanode material yields a high photocurrent density of 5.69 mA/cm² at 1.23 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode(RHE) under simulated solar light(100 mW/cm²). Surface photovoltage techniques and other measurements were carried out to confirm that the enhanced photoelectrochemical performances were attributed to the synergistic effect of the phase junction and a certain content of surface states, which accelerate the separation and transmission of the photogenerated charges. This material with phase junction and surface states promises a potential application in the field of photoelectric catalysis under solar light.     

Stabilization mechanism of TiO2 on flexible fluorocarbon films as a functional photocatalyst

The repetitive discoloration kinetics of the azo-dye Methyl Orange (taken as a model organic compound) was followed under solar simulated radiation (90 mW/cm²) to assess the performance of the TiO₂/Tedlar^® composite photocatalyst. The influence of solution parameters on the photo-discoloration process: pH, dye concentration, applied light intensity and concentration of H₂O₂ were systematically investigated. During the photocatalysis a modification occurs in the TiO₂/Tedlar^® composite due to the TiO₂ interaction with the Tedlar^® film. Physical insight is given for the stabilization mechanism of the TiO₂ particles in the Tedlar matrix based on the data obtained by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The F 1s peak of the Tedlar film indicates that the TiO₂ is loaded on the Tedlar fluoro-groups. The loading of TiO₂ on the 75 μm thick Tedlar^® film was 0.9% (w/w) as determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS). Attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy (ATRIR) shows no formation of additional bands within the photodiscoloration reaction. This shows that an efficient catalysis taking place on the TiO₂/Tedlar^® surface. The rugosity (mean square roughness, rms) of the TiO₂/Tedlar^® film was determined by atomic force microscopy (AFM) to be 19.7 nm. This value remained constant during long-term operation. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) reports the thickness and coverage of TiO₂ Degussa P-25 on the Tedlar^® surface before and after photocatalysis.     

MnO2/H-TiO2纳米异质阵列的调控制备及超电容特性

采用目标调控的阳极氧化工艺制备了超大比表面、管与管相互分离的有序TiO₂纳米管阵列（TiO₂ NTAs）基体,进而分别采用电化学氢化法和循环浸渍沉积法对晶化退火后的TiO₂ NTAs实施电化学氢化和高比电容MnO₂沉积的双重功能化改性,调控构筑了一种新型MnO₂/H-TiO₂纳米异质阵列电极材料。利用场发射扫描电子显微镜（FESEM）、高分辨透射电子显微镜（TRTEM）、X射线衍射仪（XRD）、X光电子能谱仪（XPS）、拉曼光谱（Raman）和电化学工作站等对样品进行综合表征与超电容特性测试,结果表明：电化学氢化改性有效提高了H-TiO₂ NTAs的导电性和电化学特性,当电流密度为0.2 mA·cm^-2时H-TiO₂ NTAs的面积电容达到7.5 mF·cm^-2,是相同电流密度下TiO₂ NTAs的75倍;经过2个浸渍循环所获得的MnO₂/H-TiO₂ NTAs-2样品在电流密度为3 mA·mg^-1时比电容可达481.26 F·g^-1,电流密度为5 mA·mg^-1时循环充放电1000圈后比电容仅下降约11%。     

SILAR法制备TiO2/CdS/Co-Pi水氧化光阳极及其性能

采用连续离子层吸附法（SILAR）沉积CdS制备type-Ⅱ异质结TiO₂/CdS光阳极,用光电化学沉积法在TiO₂/CdS表面沉积催化剂（Co-Pi）得到TiO₂/CdS/Co-Pi水氧化光阳极。通过X射线衍射（XRD）仪、扫描电子显微镜（SEM）、X射线光电子能谱（XPS）仪等对样品结构及组成进行分析,证明CdS与Co-Pi已成功负载在TiO₂表面。用已制备的光阳极在中性溶液中模拟水氧化测试,在较低外偏压（0 V（vs Ag/AgCl））和无电子牺牲剂的情况下,即使在可见光照射下,依然得到较高的初始光电流和稳定光电流,分别为1.3和0.5 mA·cm^-2,表明制备的光阳极可以在可见光照下有效地驱动水氧化反应。光电化学池的工作原理为,CdS吸收光子产生光生电子-空穴,TiO₂和Co-Pi分别传输电子和空穴,空穴进行水氧化,电子转移到阴极完成质子还原。     

One Step Preparation of Highly Dispersed TiO2 Nanoparticles

A facile approach was developed to prepare highly dispersed TiO₂ nanoparticles with selected phase. The crystallization phase of the nanoparticles can be easily tuned from anatase to rutile by the dosage of hydrochloric acid in the reaction system. The crystallite size of the as-prepared anatase TiO₂ nanoparticles was ca. 3.2 nm with high dispersion. A transparent TiO₂ colloid was obtained by dispersing the as-prepared anatase TiO₂ nanoparticles in deionized water without any organic additives added. The concentration of TiO₂-H₂O colloid can be as high as 1600 g/L. The optical transmittance of TiO₂-H₂O colloid with a low concentration was nearly 100% in the visible region. Furthermore, anatase TiO₂ nanoparticles(TiO₂-NPs) showed superior photocatalytic performance compared to rutile TiO₂-NPs.     

柔性TiO2纳米管薄膜电极的制备及其光电性能

采用水热合成法制备出TiO₂纳米管,通过XRD、TEM和氮气等温吸附-脱附仪等测试手段对TiO₂纳米管进行了表征.用烧结的TiO₂纳米管和P25粉末混合制成薄膜电极,并研究了薄膜电极的表面形貌、染料吸附量和光电性能.研究表明,加入TiO₂纳米管可以制备出机械稳定的薄膜;掺杂TiO₂纳米管的含量越多,薄膜电极的染料吸附量越大;掺杂5%烧结纳米管粉末的薄膜电极的光电性能最好,其短路电流可达3.25mA,光电转换效率达到1.67%.     

D-π-A-π-A结构有机光敏染料的合成及其在太阳能光电转化和光解水制氢中的应用

选择N,N'-二甲基苯胺作为电子给体,乙炔基和苯基作为π桥键,苯并噻二唑基团作为辅助受体,氰基丙烯酸为电子受体设计合成了一个具有D-π-A-π-A结构的有机染料OD2。对该染料的光谱性能和电化学性能进行了研究,并将其用作光敏剂引入太阳能光电转化和光解水制氢领域。当OD2应用于光伏领域：在AM1.5（100 mW·cm^-2）的光强下,OD2敏化的电池的光电转化效率（η）为4.40%（短路电流密度（J_sc）=10.58 mA·cm^-2,开路电压（V_oc）=630 mV,填充因子（FF）=0.65）;当OD2应用于染料敏化可见光催化制氢领域：在300 W氙灯光源可见光照射10 h,OD2敏化的Pt/TiO₂在pH=7.0,10%（φ,体积分数）三乙醇胺水溶液中的催化转化数（TON）为140,相应的表观制氢量子产率（Φ_H2）仅为0.42%。显然,OD2在光电转化领域比可见光催化分解水制氢领域更具有应用潜力。     

Enhanced Visible-light Photocatalytic Activity of g-C3N4/Nitrogen-doped Graphene Quantum Dots/TiO2 Ternary Heterojunctions for Ciprofloxacin Degradation with Narrow Band Gap and High Charge Carrier Mobility

Limited visible-light absorption and high recombination rate of photogenerated charges are two main drawbacks in g-C₃N₄-based photocatalysts. To solve these problems, g-C₃N₄/nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots (NGQDs)/TiO₂ ternary heterojunctions were facilely prepared via a one-step calcining method. The morphology, structure, optical and electrochemical properties of g-C₃N₄/NGQDs/TiO₂ were characterized and explored. The optimal g-C₃N₄/NGQDs/TiO₂ composite exhibits enhanced photocatalytic degradation performance of ciprofloxacin (CIP) compared with the as-prepared g-C₃N₄, TiO₂(P25) and g-C₃N₄/TiO₂ heterojunction under visible light irradiation. The apparent rate constant of the composite is around 6.43, 4.03 and 2.30 times higher than those of g-C₃N₄, TiO₂ and g-C₃N₄/TiO₂, respectively. The enhanced photocatalytic efficiency should be mainly attributed to the improvement of light absorption and charge separation and transfer efficiency, originating from the narrow band gap and high charge carrier mobility. The active species trapping experiments results showed that the h⁺ and ^·O₂^- were the main active species in the degradation process. A possible photocatalytic reaction mechanism of the g-C₃N₄/NGQDs/TiO₂ composite for the enhanced degradation of CIP under visible light irradiation was also proposed.     

用于直接甲醇燃料电池的高活性PtCo-CNT@TiO_2复合纳米阳极催化剂

采用溶胶凝胶法制备CNT@TiO_2载体,利用电沉积法制备用于直接甲醇燃料电池的PtCo-CNT@TiO_2阳极催化剂。采用透射电子显微镜(TEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)和电化学工作站对其进行表征。结果表明,PtCo-CNT@TiO_2复合纳米材料有明显的结晶,且金属粒子围绕在TiO_2包覆的碳纳米管的周围,用于直接甲醇燃料电池阳极催化剂具有较高的活性与稳定性。该PtCo-CNT@TiO_2催化剂的电化学比表面积为164 m~2/g,65℃时甲醇的氧化峰电流达到45 mA/cm~2,计时电流曲线表明300 s后PtCo-CNT@TiO_2的氧化电流趋于24 mA/cm~2,在碱性条件下甲醇的氧化峰电流为39.7 mA/cm~2。     

CoSe2/C复合电催化材料修饰隔膜对高载量锂硫电池性能的影响

以具有菱形十二面体结构的ZIF-67为模板, 采用两步烧结法合成了CoSe₂/C复合材料, CoSe₂纳米颗粒直径约30 nm, 均匀分散在碳骨架上. 电化学测试结果表明, CoSe₂/C复合材料在放电过程中可以加快可溶性聚硫离子的还原反应动力学, 还能够促进不溶性Li₂S的沉积过程, 同时加速充电过程中Li₂S的氧化分解. 将CoSe₂/C作为电催化材料与碳材料混合后用于隔膜修饰, 修饰层面载量仅为0.15 mg/cm², 其中CoSe₂/C的质量分数仅占30%时, 电池依然表现出优异的电化学性能; 当硫载量为4.8 mg/cm²时, 在0.2C倍率下电池初始放电比容量为756 mA·h/g, 经过180次循环后, 容量依然能够维持715 mA·h/g, 每次衰减率仅为0.031%.