title: Effect of highly ordered single-crystalline TiO2 nanowire length on the photovoltaic performance of dye-sensitized solar cells.
abstract: One-dimensional semiconductor nanostructures grown directly onto transparent conducting oxide substrates with a high internal surface area are most desirable for high-efficiency dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Herein, we present a multicycle hydrothermal synthesis process to produce vertically aligned, single crystal rutile TiO(2) nanowires with different lengths between 1 and 8 μm for application as the working electrode in DSSCs. Optimum performance was obtained with a TiO(2) nanowire length of 2.0 μm, which may be ascribed to a smaller nanowire diameter with a high internal surface area and better optical transmittance with an increase in the incident light intensity on the N719 dye; as well as a firm connection at the FTO/TiO(2) nanowire interface.
authors.affiliation: Key Lab for Special Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China.
authors.forename: Zheng-ji
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Jun-qi
authors.initials: JQ
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Xia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Wen-hui
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Zu-liang
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Si-xin
authors.initials: SX
authors.lastname: Wu