TiO₂Nanotube Fragmentation And Its Application In Dye-sensitized Solar Cell

Energy crisis and environment pollution are two major problems faced by us nowadays. Many nationshave paid great attentions in exploring and developing new energy for the sustainable development of oursociety.Dye-sensitized solar cell （DCCS） will be intensively studied for its advantages such as simple and lowcost preparation, high efficiency and long lifespan. The photoelectric conversion efficiency （η） of theDCCS has reached11.91%and has already become a new generation of solar cell.The dye-sensitized solar cell is composed of four parts: nano TiO₂photoelectrode, dyes, electrolyte,and the counter electrode. The photoelectric conversion efficiency （η） of the DCCS is affected by thecomposition of the photoanode film, the crystalline type, the grain size as well as the specificsurface.Preparation of the nanoscaled TiO₂powpers is the foundation of fabrication of the nanoscaled TiO₂thin-film photoelectrode. The preparation methods include sol-gel method, electrochemical deposition,chemical vapor deposition, sputtering, hydrothermal method etc.The Nano-TiO₂porous thin film electrode is an important part of the dye-sensitized solar cell, and ourwork are as follows:（1）Tetrabutyl titanate and ferric nitrate was used to synthesize Fe³⁺/TiO₂nanoparticles viasol-gel-hydrothermal method, then Fe³⁺/TiO₂nanoparticles and high concentration sodium hydroxidesolution was used to synthesize Fe³⁺/TiO₂nanotube via hydrothermal method and annealed at500℃to getthe Fe³⁺/TiO₂nano-fragments.（2）The Fe³⁺/TiO₂nano-fragments were characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD, and the series spectrumperformance test instrument7-SCSpec. The Fe³⁺/TiO₂nano-fragments were screen-printed on the ITOglass, and then calcined.（3）After being sintered, the electrode was immersed into a N719dye solution, then assembled withanother ITO glass coated with platonic. Photovoltaic measurements of DSCC were carried out undersimulated solar rays. And its fill factor was0.52, short-circuit current2.19mA, open voltage0.69V,photoelectric conversion efficiency （η）7.19%.