title: Hierarchical TiO2 microspheres comprised of anatase nanospindles for improved electron transport in dye-sensitized solar cells.
abstract: Hierarchical TiO(2) microspheres assembled by nanospindles were prepared via a two-step hydrothermal method. The as-prepared products have uniform diameters of ~450 nm and surface area of ~88 m(2) g(-1). The optical investigation evidenced that the photoanode film has a prominent light scattering effect at a wavelength range of 600-800 nm and possesses enhanced dye loading capacity. In addition, the electron recombination and transport dynamic measurements indicated that these hierarchical products could suppress the recombination and improve the diffusion coefficient of the photoelectrons, which can be attributed to the improvement of the connectivity by bridging the neighbouring microspheres through the embedded nanospindles. As a result, a high power conversion efficiency of 8.5% was demonstrated, indicating a ~30% improvement compared with the cell derived from the well-defined nanocrystalline microspheres (6.5%).
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Henan Key Laboratory of Photovoltaic Materials, Henan Normal University, Henan Xinxiang 453007, PR China.
authors.forename: Dapeng
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Shuyan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Limin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Jianping
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Dongsheng
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects; D011211:Electric Power Supplies; D004579:Electron Transport; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D008863:Microspheres; D050997:Nanomedicine; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D012993:Solar Energy; D014025:Titanium / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents; C009495:titanium dioxide; D014025:Titanium