Hierarchically Structured ZnO Nanorods as an Efficient Photoanode for Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells

Hierarchical ZnO nanorods composed of interconnected nanoparticles, which were synthesized by controlling precursor concentrations in a solvothermally assisted process, were exploited as photoanodes in dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSCs). The as‐prepared hierarchical nanorods showed greatly enhanced light scattering compared to ZnO nanoparticles for boosting light harvesting while maintaining sufficient dye‐adsorption capability. The charge‐transfer characteristics were studied by electrochemical impedance measurements, and reduced electron recombination and longer electron lifetime were observed for the ZnO nanorods. Photovoltaic characterization demonstrated that DSCs utilizing the hierarchical nanorods significantly improved the overall conversion efficiency by 34 % compared to nanoparticle‐based DSCs.     

Asymmetric ZnO Panel‐Like Hierarchical Architectures with Highly Interconnected Pathways for Free‐Electron Transport and Photovoltaic Improvements

Through a rapid and template‐free precipitation approach, we synthesized an asymmetric panel‐like ZnO hierarchical architecture (PHA) for photoanodes of dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSCs). The two sides of the PHA are constructed differently using densely interconnected, mono‐crystalline and ultrathin ZnO nanosheets. By mixing these PHAs with ZnO nanoparticles (NPs), we developed an effective and feasible strategy to improve the electrical transport and photovoltaic performance of the composite photoanodes of DSCs. The highly crystallized and interconnected ZnO nanosheets largely minimized the total grain boundaries within the composite photoanodes and thus served as direct pathways for the transport and effective collection of free electrons. Through low‐temperature (200 °C) annealing, these novel composite photoanodes achieved high conversion efficiencies of up to 5.59 % for ZnO‐based quasi‐solid DSCs.     

分级多孔结构ZnO微球的制备及其光电性能

采用简单的低温化学溶液沉积方法制备了分级多孔ZnO微球。利用X射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、透射电镜(TEM)、N2吸附脱附以及紫外-可见分光光度计(UV-Vis)等对样品进行了表征。结果显示产物为分级多孔结构的ZnO微球,由直径约10~20 nm ZnO颗粒组装而成,比表面积为40 m2.g-1。把多孔ZnO微球用作染料敏化太阳能电池(DSCs)光阳极,结果表明,该光阳极在增强对入射光的散射作用的同时,为染料分子的吸附提供了较大比表面积,从而提高了DSCs的光伏性能。     

Multilayer assembly of nanowire arrays for dye-sensitized solar cells

Vertically ordered nanostructures synthesized directly on transparent conducting oxide have shown great promise for overcoming the limitations of current dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) based on random networks of nanoparticles. However, the synthesis of such structures with a high internal surface area has been challenging. Here we demonstrate a convenient approach that involves alternate cycles of nanowire growth and self-assembled monolayer coating processes for synthesizing multilayer assemblies of ZnO nanowire arrays and using the assemblies for fabrication of DSCs. The assembled multilayer ZnO nanowire arrays possess an internal surface area that is more than 5 times larger than what one can possibly obtain with single-layer nanowire arrays. DSCs fabricated using such multilayer arrays yield a power conversion efficiency of 7%, which is comparable to that of TiO(2) nanoparticle-based DSCs. The ordered structure with a high internal surface area opens up opportunities for further improvement of DSCs.     

Nanorods and nanolipsticks structured ZnO photoelectrode for dye-sensitized solar cells

Nanostructured ZnO photoelectrodes were synthesized on SnO₂:F (FTO) glass substrate coated with sol–gel based ZnO seed layer via hydrothermal route at various deposition times: 30, 60, 90 and 180 min. Ruthenium based dye and carbon counter electrode were used for the fabrication of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). Interestingly, nanolipsticks structures were found with low deposition times, where two dissimilar nanorods (111 and 165 nm) attached together. The number of nanolipsticks structures decreased and nanorods increased with increase of deposition time. The DSCs based on ZnO nanorods for 180 min, shows the maximum efficiency, 1.04% at 100 mW/cm² light intensity.     

The effects of polymer gel electrolyte composition on performance of quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells

Polymer gel electrolytes based on poly(acrylic acid)-poly(ethylene glycol) (PAA–PEG) hybrid have been prepared and applied to developed quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). PAA–PEG hybrid was synthesized by polymerization reaction. Quasi-solid-state DSCs were fabricated with synthesized PAA–PEG electrolyte. The effects of alkali iodides LiI, KI, and I₂ concentrations on liquid electrolyte absorbency and ionic conductivity of PAA–PEG were investigated. The evolution of the solar cell parameters with polymer gel electrolyte compositions was revealed. DSCs based on PAA–PEG with optimized KI/I₂ concentrations showed better performances than those with optimized LiI/I₂ concentrations. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy technique was employed to examine the electron lifetime in the TiO₂ electrode and quantify charge transfer resistances at the TiO₂/dye/electrolyte interface and the counter electrode in the solar cells based on the PAA–PEG hybrid gels. A maximum conversion efficiency of 4.96% was obtained for DSCs using KI based quasi-solid electrolyte under 100 mW cm⁻². Our work suggests that KI can be the promising alkali metal iodide for improving the performance of PAA–PEG hybrid gel DSCs.     

Dye-sensitized solar cells based on WO3

In research on alternative photoanode materials for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs), there is rarely any report on WO(3), probably due to its acidic surface and more positive (vs NHE) conduction band edge position compared to TiO(2) and ZnO. For the first time, dye-sensitized solar cells based on porous WO(3) nanoparticle films were successfully fabricated with efficiency of up to 0.75%. The multicrystalline structure of WO(3) was examined by Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. It was found that significant performance enhancement can be obtained from treating the WO(3) nanoparticle film with TiCl(4); the TiCl(4)-treated WO(3) DSCs were recorded with efficiency reaching 1.46%.     

Characterizing the Role of Iodine Doping in Improving Photovoltaic Performance of Dye‐Sensitized Hierarchically Structured ZnO Solar Cells

We report two novel types of hierarchically structured iodine‐doped ZnO (I? ZnO)‐based dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSCs) using indoline D205 and the ruthenium complex N719 as sensitizers. It was found that iodine doping boosts the efficiencies of D205 I? ZnO and N719 I? ZnO DSCs with an enhancement of 20.3 and 17.9 %, respectively, compared to the undoped versions. Transient absorption spectra demonstrated that iodine doping impels an increase in the decay time of I? ZnO, favoring enhanced exciton life. Mott–Schottky analysis results indicated a negative shift of the flat‐band potential (V_fb) of ZnO, caused by iodine doping, and this shift correlated with the enhancement of the open circuit voltage (V_oc). To reveal the effect of iodine doping on the effective separation of e^?‐h⁺ pairs which is responsible for cell efficiency, direct visualization of light‐induced changes in the surface potential between I? ZnO particles and dye molecules were traced by Kelvin probe force microscopy. We found that potential changes of iodine‐doped ZnO films by irradiation were above one hundred millivolts and thus significantly greater. In order to correlate enhanced cell performance with iodine doping, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, incident‐photon‐current efficiency, and cyclic voltammetry investigations on I? ZnO cells were carried out. The results revealed several favorable features of I? ZnO cells, that is, longer electron lifetime, lower charge‐transfer resistance, stronger peak current, and extended visible light harvest, all of which serve to promote cell performance.     

Sixfold self-assembled hierarchical structures synthesized by direct annealing of Zn microtips

A facile route and the related mechanism for forming sixfold core-shell hierarchical structure with well-defined anisotropic three-dimensional arrays have been described. The regularity and symmetry of hierarchical structures prepared by annealing Zn microtips are superior to the random nanostructure arrays formed in general vapor system reported in the literature. Owing to the distinct stress distribution on the topography of microtips during annealing, the mechanism for growing branched zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowhiskers is related to the relaxation of stress. In addition, the self-assembled hierarchical structures with naturally good contact results in a lowered energy barrier between Zn metal and ZnO semiconductor, which in turn gives a much better emission property.     

ZnO-based dye solar cell with pure ionic-liquid electrolyte and organic sensitizer: the relevance of the dye–oxide interaction in an ionic-liquid medium

The use of non-volatile electrolytes and fully organic dyes are key issues in the development of stable dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). In this work we explore the performance of ZnO-based DSCs sensitized with an indoline derivative coded D149 in the presence of a pure ionic-liquid electrolyte. Commercial nanostructured zinc oxide and an electrolyte composed of iodine plus (1) pure 1-propyl-3-methyl imidazolium iodide (PMII) and (2) a blend of PMII with low-viscosity ionic liquids were employed to construct the devices. Without further additives, the fabricated devices exhibit remarkable short-circuit photocurrents and efficiencies under AM1.5 simulated sunlight (up to 10.6 mA cm?2, 2.9% efficiency, 1 sun, active area = 0.64 cm2) due to the high surface area of the ZnO film and the high absorptivity of the D149 dye. Impedance spectroscopy is used to characterize the devices. It is found that the addition of the low-viscosity ionic-liquid improves the transport features (leading to a better photocurrent) but it does not alter the recombination rate. The robustness of the dye–oxide interaction is tested by applying continuous illumination with a Xenon-lamp. It is observed that the photocurrent is reduced at a slow rate due to desorption of the D149 sensitizer in the presence of the ionic liquid. Exploration of alternative ionic-liquid compositions or modification of the ZnO surface is therefore required to make stable devices based on ZnO and fully organic dyes.     

用于去除有机染料的分级结构ZnO微球的简便合成

以六亚甲基四胺(HMTA)为结构导向剂，采用乙二醇辅助的溶剂热法制备了均匀分散的纳米片组装的三维分级结构ZnO微米球。可控实验证明，HMTA和溶剂在分级结构微米球的形成中起重要作用。通过二维纳米片组装来构建三维分级结构，不仅增加了产品的比表面积，而且还建立了更多的电荷传输通道。在暗室下，该样品可作为吸附剂去除水溶液中的一些有机染料。吸附结果表明，纳米片组装的分级结构ZnO微球对阴离子染料具有良好的去除率和选择性。特殊的分级结构、较大的比表面积和静电引力的协同作用，使ZnO微球对代表性染料刚果红(CR)经过5次循环吸附后的去除率仍可达95.67%。动力学研究证实，CR在ZnO微球上的吸附为物理吸附，符合准二级动力学和Langmuir等温线模型。     

用于去除有机染料的分级结构ZnO微球的简便合成

以六亚甲基四胺(HMTA)为结构导向剂,采用乙二醇辅助的溶剂热法制备了均匀分散的纳米片组装的三维分级结构ZnO微米球。可控实验证明,HMTA和溶剂在分级结构微米球的形成中起重要作用。通过二维纳米片组装来构建三维分级结构,不仅增加了产品的比表面积,而且还建立了更多的电荷传输通道。在暗室下,该样品可作为吸附剂去除水溶液中的一些有机染料。吸附结果表明,纳米片组装的分级结构ZnO微球对阴离子染料具有良好的去除率和选择性。特殊的分级结构、较大的比表面积和静电引力的协同作用,使ZnO微球对代表性染料刚果红(CR)经过5次循环吸附后的去除率仍可达95.67%。动力学研究证实,CR在ZnO微球上的吸附为物理吸附,符合准二级动力学和Langmuir等温线模型。     

用于去除有机染料的分级结构ZnO微球的简便合成

以六亚甲基四胺(HMTA)为结构导向剂,采用乙二醇辅助的溶剂热法制备了均匀分散的纳米片组装的三维分级结构ZnO微米球。可控实验证明,HMTA和溶剂在分级结构微米球的形成中起重要作用。通过二维纳米片组装来构建三维分级结构,不仅增加了产品的比表面积,而且还建立了更多的电荷传输通道。在暗室下,该样品可作为吸附剂去除水溶液中的一些有机染料。吸附结果表明,纳米片组装的分级结构ZnO微球对阴离子染料具有良好的去除率和选择性。特殊的分级结构、较大的比表面积和静电引力的协同作用,使ZnO微球对代表性染料刚果红(CR)经过5次循环吸附后的去除率仍可达95.67%。动力学研究证实,CR在ZnO微球上的吸附为物理吸附,符合准二级动力学和Langmuir等温线模型。     

Formation of interpenetrating hierarchical titania structures by confined synthesis in inverse opal

Hierarchical periodic titania nanostructures composed of a macroporous crystalline scaffold and mesoporous titania were prepared by confined synthesis. The strategy for the generation of these hierarchical structures involves preparation of inverse opal titania layers and subsequent filling of the interstitial macroporous voids with surfactant-containing titania precursors to obtain a mesostructured titania phase using the surfactant Pluronic P123. The formation of mesostructure in the confined space of the macroporous scaffold upon thermal treatment was investigated with in situ grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS). The macroporous scaffold strongly influences the mesostructure assembly and leads to much larger structural parameters of the formed mesostructure, this effect becoming more pronounced with decreasing pore size of the macroporous host. Furthermore, the inverse opal scaffold acts as a stabilizing matrix, limiting the shrinkage of the mesopores upon heating. This effect is coupled with an enhanced crystallization of the mesophase, which is attributed to the crystalline walls of the macroporous host. Sorption measurements of the final hierarchical titania structure of 5 μm thickness show that the porous system is fully accessible, has a high total surface area of 154 m(2)/g, and has an average mesopore size of 6.1 nm, which is about 20% larger than the pore size of 5.1 nm for the reference mesoporous film obtained on a flat substrate. These hierarchical structures were implemented as anodes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs), showing a conversion efficiency of 4% under one sun illumination, whereas the calcined macroporous scaffold alone shows an efficiency of only 0.4%.     

三维分级结构ZnO的制备及光催化性能

以聚乙烯醇/醋酸锌复合纳米纤维为模板, 采用模板辅助共沉积技术制备了三维尖晶石型ZnO纳米线/纳米纤维分级结构, 并采用SEM, XRD对其形貌和晶型结构进行了表征. 在光催化降解乙醛性能实验中, 三维分级结构ZnO表现出比纳米粒子和纤维更好的光催化性能. 这主要归因于ZnO纳米线的次级结构和开放的三维网络结构更有利于乙醛分子和氧分子的扩散和传输, 从而提高了乙醛的光降解速率.     

Sb2S3纳米粒子修饰ZnO纳米片微纳分级结构的光电化学性能

采用恒电位方法,选择氯化钾和乙二胺(EDA)为添加剂,在氧化铟锡(ITO)导电玻璃上制备了高度有序的ZnO纳米片阵列,通过二次电沉积得到了ZnO纳米片上生长纳米棒的微纳分级结构.利用化学浴沉积法在ZnO基底上沉积Sb₂S₃纳米粒子制备出了Sb₂S₃/ZnO纳米片壳核结构和Sb₂S₃/ZnO微纳分级壳核结构.利用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)、紫外-可见(UV-Vis)吸收光谱、瞬态光电流等对其形貌、结构组成和光电化学性能进行了表征和分析.结果表明, Sb₂S₃/ZnO纳米片上生长纳米棒分级壳核结构的光电流明显高于Sb₂S₃/ZnO纳米片壳核结构.在Sb₂S₃/ZnO纳米片壳核结构和Sb₂S₃/ZnO微纳分级壳核结构的基础上旋涂一层P3HT薄膜形成P3HT/Sb₂S₃/ZnO复合结构,以上述复合结构薄膜为光活性层组装成杂化太阳电池,其中, P3HT/Sb₂S₃/ZnO分级壳核结构杂化太阳电池的能量转换效率最高,达到了0.81%.     

ZnO-Al2O3 and ZnO-TiO2 core-shell nanowire dye-sensitized solar cells

We describe the construction and performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) based on arrays of ZnO nanowires coated with thin shells of amorphous Al(2)O(3) or anatase TiO(2) by atomic layer deposition. We find that alumina shells of all thicknesses act as insulating barriers that improve cell open-circuit voltage (V(OC)) only at the expense of a larger decrease in short-circuit current density (J(SC)). However, titania shells 10-25 nm in thickness cause a dramatic increase in V(OC) and fill factor with little current falloff, resulting in a substantial improvement in overall conversion efficiency, up to 2.25% under 100 mW cm(-2) AM 1.5 simulated sunlight. The superior performance of the ZnO-TiO(2) core-shell nanowire cells is a result of a radial surface field within each nanowire that decreases the rate of recombination in these devices. In a related set of experiments, we have found that TiO(2) blocking layers deposited underneath the nanowire films yield cells with reduced efficiency, in contrast to the beneficial use of blocking layers in some TiO(2) nanoparticle cells. Raising the efficiency of our nanowire DSCs above 2.5% depends on achieving higher dye loadings through an increase in nanowire array surface area.     

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.     

Optically Active Nanostructured ZnO Films

Inorganic nanomaterials endowed with hierarchical chirality could open new horizons in physical theory and applications because of their fascinating properties. Here, we report chiral ZnO films coated on quartz substrates with a hierarchical nanostructure ranging from atomic to micrometer scale. Three levels of hierarchical chirality exist in the ZnO films: helical ZnO crystalline structures that form primary helically coiled nanoplates, secondary helical stacking of these nanoplates, and tertiary nanoscale circinate aggregates formed by several stacked nanoplates. These films exhibited optical activity (OA) at 380 nm and in the range of 200–800 nm and created circularly polarized luminescence centered at 510 nm and Raman OA at 50–1400 cm^?1, which was attributed to electronic transitions, scattering, photoluminescent emission, and Raman scattering in a dissymmetric electric field. The unprecedented strong OA could be attributed to multiple light scattering and absorption‐enhanced light harvesting in the hierarchical structures.     

Probing nanocolumnar silver nanoparticle/zinc oxide hierarchical assemblies with advanced surface plasmon resonance and their enhanced photocatalytic performance for formaldehyde removal

Recent advances in photocatalysis focus on the development of materials with hierarchical structure and on the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) phenomenon exhibited by metal nanoparticles (NPs). In this work, both are combined in a material where size‐controllable Ag‐NPs are uniformly loaded onto the hierarchical microporous and mesoporous and nanocolumnar structures of ZnO, resulting in Ag‐NP/ZnO nanocomposites. The embedded Ag‐NPs slightly decrease the hydrophobicity of fibrous ZnO, improve its wettability, and increase the absorption of formaldehyde (H₂CO) onto the photocatalyst, all of this resulting in excellent photodegradation of formaldehyde in aqueous solution. Besides, we found that Ag‐NPs with optimal size not only accelerate the charge transfer to the surface of ZnO, but also strengthen the SPR effect in the intercolumnar channels of fibrous ZnO particles combining with high concentration of photo‐generated radical species. The micro‐to‐mesoporous ZnO is like a nanoarray packed Ag‐NPs. With Ag‐NPs of diameter 2.5 < ? < 6.5 nm, ZnO exhibits the most superior photodegradation rate constant value of 0.0239 min^?1 with total formaldehyde removal of 97%. This work presents a new feasible approach involving highly sophisticated Ag‐NP/ZnO architecture combining the SPR effect and hierarchically ordered structures, which results in high photocatalytic activity for formaldehyde photodegradation.