title: Facile and effective synthesis of hierarchical TiO2 spheres for efficient dye-sensitized solar cells.
abstract: Three-dimensional (3D) crystalline anatase TiO2 hierarchical spheres were successfully derived from Ti foils via a fast, template-free, low-temperature hydrothermal route followed by a calcination post-treatment. These dandelion-like TiO2 spheres are composed of numerous ultrathin nanoribbons, which were subsequently split into fragile nanoflakes as a result of the decomposition of Ti-complex intermediates to TiO2 and H2O at high temperature. The dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) employing such hierarchically structured TiO2 spheres as the photoanodes exhibited a light-to-electricity conversion efficiency of 8.50%, yielding a 28% enhancement in comparison with that (6.64%) of P25-based DSSCs, which mainly benefited from the enhanced capacity of dye loading in combination with effective light scattering and trapping from hierarchical architecture.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China.
authors.forename: Meidan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: Chang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Miaoqiang
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.forename: Dajiang
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Wenxi
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Changjian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000737:chemistry*; D011211:Electric Power Supplies; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D012993:Solar Energy; D013696:Temperature; D014025:Titanium / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents; C009495:titanium dioxide; D014025:Titanium