Abstract
Ti conical island structures were fabricated using photolithography and the reactive ion etching method. The resulting conical island structures were anodized in ethylene glycol solution containing 0.25 wt% NH4F and 2 vol% H2O, and conical islands composed of TiO2 nanotubes were successfully formed on the Ti foils. The conical islands composed of TiO2 nanotubes were employed in photoelectrodes for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). DSC photoelectrodes based on planar Ti structures covered with TiO2 nanotubes were also fabricated as a reference. The short-circuit current (Jsc) and efficiency of DSCs based on the conical island structures were higher than those of the reference samples. The efficiency of DSCs based on the conical island structures reached up to 1.866%. From electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and open-circuit voltage (Voc) decay measurements, DSCs based on the conical island structures exhibited a lower charge transfer resistance at the counter cathode and a longer electron lifetime at the interface of the photoelectrode and electrolyte compared to the reference samples. The conical island structure was very effective at improving performances of DSCs based on TiO2 nanotubes.Graphical Conical islands of TiO2 nanotube arrays are fabricated by an anodizing process with Ti protruding dots which have a conical shape. The conical islands are applied for use in DSC photoelectrodes. DSCs based on the conical islands of TiO2 nanotube arrays have the potential to achieve higher efficiency levels compared to DSCs based on normal TiO2 nanotubes and TiO2 nanoparticles because the conical islands of TiO2 nanotube arrays enlarge the surface area for dye adsorption.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s11671-015-0737-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) have received great interest as promising alternatives to conventional silicon solar cells [1]
The J-V characteristics of DSCs based on the conical island structures were compared with those of DSCs based on the planar structures covered with TiO2 nanotubes
The Jsc and the efficiency of DSCs based on the conical island structures were higher than those of DSCs based on the planar structures
Summary
Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) have received great interest as promising alternatives to conventional silicon solar cells [1]. Their low cost and easy fabrication processes are powerful advantages. DSCs can be fabricated without the high-cost vacuum equipment required for Si cells, such as plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) and atomic layer deposition (ALD). Wet etching processes, such as saw damage etching and texturing, which are widely used in the fabrication of Si solar cells, are not required in DSCs, which simplifies their fabrication.
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