A Comparative Investigation of Dye-Sensitized Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) Nanorods Grown on Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) Substrates by Direct and Seed-Mediated Hydrothermal Methods

doi:10.1007/s40195-016-0409-y

Abstract

Abstract:

We report a comparative investigation of the characteristics of modified TiO₂ nanorods grown on conducting indium tin oxide glass (ITO) substrates by two different hydrothermal methods: the direct method by which rutile TiO₂ nanorods were grown directly on plain ITO substrates and the seed-mediated one using which a thin film of anatase TiO₂ seed layer was laid down by spin coating and annealing prior to the growth of TiO₂ nanorods on it. Microstructural analysis of the samples using X-ray diffraction confirmed their rutile nature. The average crystallite size estimated using Scherrer’s formula was found to fall in the range of 11-17 nm in both cases. Field emission scanning electron microscopy revealed the nanorod morphologies of a dandelion arrangement in the case of directly grown ones and a proper vertical orientation in the case of the seed-mediated method. UV-Vis spectroscopy analysis of both the samples exhibited redshifts with intense absorption of visible radiation, and the seed-mediated one was found to possess an increased bandgap. The transport nature of the samples was characterized by significant increase in both dark and photocurrents. The results show that the dark and photocurrent values of the directly grown TiO₂ nanorods were greater than those of the seed-mediated ones by ~seven and five folds, respectively, and therefore, it could serve as efficient photoelectrodes in dye-sensitized solar cells.

Key words: Dye-sensitized solar cells, Hydrothermal, Seed-mediated, Photoconductivity, Spin coating, Safranine O dye, TiO₂ nanorods

V. Chandrakala, J. Annai Joseph Steffy, Neena Bachan, W. Jothi Jeyarani, Tenzin Tenkyong, J. Merline Shyla1. A Comparative Investigation of Dye-Sensitized Titanium Dioxide (TiO₂) Nanorods Grown on Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) Substrates by Direct and Seed-Mediated Hydrothermal Methods[J]. Acta Metallurgica Sinica (English Letters), 2016, 29(5): 457-463.

Figures/Tables 10

Fig. 1 Schematic representation of the synthesis procedure of TiO2 nanorods on ITO substrates

Fig. 2 XRD pattern of TiO2 nanorods grown on ITO-glass substrates by direct hydrothermal method

Fig. 3 XRD pattern of TiO2 nanorods grown on ITO-glass substrates by seed-mediated hydrothermal method

Fig. 4 Top a and cross-sectional c views of the TiO2 nanorods grown by direct hydrothermal method; top b and cross-sectional d views of the TiO2 nanorods grown by seed-mediated hydrothermal method

Fig. 5 Optical absorption spectra of Safranine O dye-sensitized TiO2 nanorods grown on ITO substrate by seed-mediated and direct hydrothermal methods

Fig. 6 Tauc’s plot of Safranine O dye-sensitized TiO2 nanorods grown on ITO-glass substrates by direct hydrothermal method

Fig. 7 Tauc’s plot of Safranine O dye-sensitized TiO2 nanorods grown on ITO-glass substrates by seed-mediated hydrothermal method

Fig. 8 The field-dependent dark and photoconductivity of Safranine O dye-sensitized TiO2 nanorod arrays fabricated on the ITO substrates by direct hydrothermal method

Fig. 9 The field-dependent dark and photoconductivity of Safranine O dye-sensitized TiO2 nanorod arrays fabricated on the ITO substrates by seed-mediated hydrothermal method

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A Comparative Investigation of Dye-Sensitized Titanium Dioxide (TiO₂) Nanorods Grown on Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) Substrates by Direct and Seed-Mediated Hydrothermal Methods

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