• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제32권11호
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• pp.4035-4040
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• 2011

Long $TiO_2$ nanotube (NT) arrays, prepared by electrochemical anodization of Ti foils, have been utilized as dye-adsorbing electrodes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). By anodizing for 1-24 hr and subsequent annealing, highly crystallized and tightly-adhered NT arrays were tailored to 11-150 ${\mu}m$ lengths, ~90 nm innerpore diameter and ~30 nm wall thickness. I-V curves revealed that the photovoltaic conversion efficiency (${\eta}$) was proportional to the NT length up to 36 ${\mu}m$. Beyond this length, the ) was proportional to the NT length up to ${\eta}$ was still steadily increased, though at a much lower rate. For example, an ${\eta}$ of 5.05% at 36 ${\mu}m$ was increased to 6.18% at 150 ${\mu}m$. Transient photoelectron spectroscopic analyses indicated that NT array-based DSCs revealed considerably higher electron diffusion coefficient ($D_e$) and life time (${\tau}_e$) than those with $TiO_2$ nanoparticles (NP). Moreover, the electron diffusion lengths ($L_e$) of the photo-injected electrons were considerably larger than the corresponding NT lengths in all the cases, suggesting that electron transport in NT arrays is highly efficient, regardless of tube length.

• 한국진공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국진공학회 2011년도 제41회 하계 정기 학술대회 초록집
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• pp.71-71
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• 2011

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) have drawn great academic attention due to their potential as low-cost renewable energy sources. DSCs contain a nanostructured TiO2 photoanode, which is a key-component for high conversion efficiency. Particularly, one-dimensional (1-D) nanostructured photoanodes can enhance the electron transport for the efficient collection to the conducting substrate in competition with the recombination processes. This is because photoelectron colletion is determined by trapping/detrapping events along the site of the electron traps (defects, surface states, grain boundaries, and self-trapping). Therefore, 1-D nanostructured photoanodes are advantageous for the fast electron transport due to their desirable features of greatly reduced intercrystalline contacts with specified directionality. In particular, anodic TiO2 nanotube (NT) electrodes recently have been intensively explored owing to their ideal structure for application in DSCs. Besides the enhanced electron transport properties resulted from the 1-D structure, highly ordered and vertically oriented nanostructure of anodic TiO2 NT can contribute additional merits, such as enhanced electrolyte diffusion, better interfacial contact with viscous electrolytes. First, to confirm the advantages of 1-D nanostructured material for the photoelectron collection, we compared the electron transport and charge recombination characteristics between nanoparticle (NP)- and nanorod (NR)-based photoanodes in DSCs by the stepped light-induced transient measurements of photocurrent and voltage (SLIM-PCV). We confirmed that the electron lifetime of the NR-based photoanode was much longer than that of the NP-based photoanode. In addition, highly ordered and vertically oriented TiO2 NT photoanodes were prepared by electrochemical anodization method. We compared the photovoltaic properties of DSCs utilizing TiO2 NT photoanodes prepared by one-step anodization and two-step anodization. And, to reduce the charge recombination rate, energy barrier layer (ZnO, Al2O3)-coated TiO2 NTs also applied in DSC. Furthermore, we applied the TiO2 NT photoanode in DSCs using a viscous electrolyte, i.e., cobalt bipyridyl redox electrolyte, and confirmed that the pore structure of NT array can enhance the performances of this viscous electrolyte.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제32권10호
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• pp.3730-3734
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• 2011

The degree of self-assembly and the size variation of nanotubular structures in anodic titanium oxide prepared by the anodization of titanium in ethylene glycol containing 0.25 wt % $NH_4F$ at 40 V were investigated as a function of anodization time. We found that the degree of self-assembly and the size of the nanotubes were strongly dependent on thickness deviation and thus indirectly on anodization time, as the thickness deviation was caused by the dissolution of the topmost tubular structures at local areas during long anodization. A large deviation in thickness led to a large deviation in the size and number of nanotubes per unit area. The dissolution primarily occurred at the bottoms of the nanotubes ($D_{bottom}$) in the initial stage of anodization (up to 6 h), which led to the growth of nanotubes. Dissolution at the tops ($D_{top}$) was accompanied by $D_{bottom}$ after the formed structures contacted the electrolyte after 12 h, generating the thickness deviation. After extremely long anodization (here, 70 h), $D_{top}$ was the dominant mode due to increase in pH, meaning that there was insufficient driving force to overcome the size distribution of nanotubes at the bottom. Thus, the nanotube array became disorder in this regime.