Preparation of silver nanowires coated with TiO2 using chemical binder and their applications as photoanodes in dye sensitized solar cell

Abstract

In this study, the core–shell structured Ag@TiO2 wire was prepared for application to dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). The Ag nanowire, having an excellent electrical conductivity, was synthesized by using the facile microwave-assisted polyol reduction process. The diameter and length of Ag wires were 40–50nm and 20–30μm, respectively, and the face-centered cubic silver crystal structure was obtained. In the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol as a chemical binder, the entire surface of Ag wire was coated with the TiO2 shell, which has thickness of 20nm, through solvothermal method. The crystalline structure of TiO2 shell was the anatase phase possessing an advantage to achieve the high efficiency in DSSC. The core–shell structured Ag@TiO2 wire exhibited the high thermal stability. The high conversion efficiency (5.56%) in fabricated device with Ag@TiO2 electrode, which is about 10% higher than reference cell, was achieved by enhancement of short-current density (Jsc) value. The core–shell structured Ag@TiO2 wire could effectively reduce the charge recombination through the contribution to electron shortcut for improvement in the electron transfer rate and lifetime.