Abstract
Hierarchical hetero-structured TiO2 nanorod arrays consisting of rutile TiO2 nanorod arrays as trunks and anatase TiO2 nanobranches with different thicknesses were directly grown on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrate using two-step hydrothermal process. These nanocomposites were used as anodes for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Our structures displayed high surface area beneficial for dye adsorption. The surface area and dye absorption increased as duration of hydrothermal reaction increased. Highest photocurrent and solar energy conversion were achieved with DSSCs obtained from hierarchical nanostructures grown for 6 h. Measurements of impedance and open-circuit voltage decay demonstrated excellent charge separation at the rutile/anatase interface. The best values were obtained for structures grown for 2 h. Optimized DSSCs based on our hierarchical heterostructures showed ∼52.9% higher conversion efficiency comparing to arrays based on pure rutile nanorods.
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