Mingdeng Wei

Novel morphology titanate tubes were successfully synthesized via a self-assembly and self-removal process. After the product was treated by calcinating and washing, crystalline TiO₂ tubes were obtained. In this study, two new concepts are applied to design the synthetic route: (i) titanium glycolate rods obtained from an ethylene glycol-mediated process and titanate sheets synthesized using the hydrothermal process were used as the template and the precursor, respectively, and ii) the template was directly removed in the reaction without posttreatment. Furthermore, a possible mechanism was proposed for the formation of tubular structures.

In this study, mesoporous TiO₂ using the template method with a short-range ordered-framework structure was successfully used as an electrode material in dye-sensitized solar cells. The best efficiency, 10.0%, was achieved under illumination by simulated AM 1.5 solar light (100 mW cm⁻²). This high light-to-electricity energy conversion efficiency is attributed to the novel physicochemical properties of mesoporous TiO₂, which include high surface area, uniform nanochannels, and a homogeneous nanocrystalline structure. The high surface area adsorbs large quantities of the sensitized dye, resulting in the generation of a higher photocurrent density. A significant influence of the mesopore structure on photovoltaic performance was also observed based on these novel properties.

In this study, titanate H2Ti3O7H2Ti3O7 nanotubes with a multiwall structure, synthesized by a hydrothermal process, were successfully used as an electrode material for dye-sensitized solar cells. The best efficiency, 7.5%, was achieved for an opened cell under illumination of simulated AM 1.5 solar light (100mWcm−2)(100mWcm−2) . The relationship between the photovoltaic performance and physicochemical properties of titanate nanotube was also investigated.