Fabrication of Highly-Ordered TiO2 Nanotube Arrays and Their Use in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Abstract

Highly ordered TiO₂ nanotubes were successfully fabricated using a nanoporous alumina templating method. A modified sol−gel route was used to infiltrate the alumina pores with Ti(OC₃H₇)₄ which was subsequently converted into TiO₂ nanotubes. The average external diameter, tube lengths, and wall thickness achieved were 295 nm, 6−15 μm, and 21−42 nm, respectively. Diffraction data reveals that the nanotubes consist solely of the anatase phase. Dye-sensitized solar cells using TiO₂ nanotube arrays as the working electrode yielded power conversion efficiencies as high as 3.5% with a maximum incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency of 20% at 520 nm.