Sn doped In2O3 nanowires for enhanced photocurrent generation for photoelectrodes

Abstract

High-quality single-crystalline Sn-doped In2O3 (ITO) nanowires (NWs) with diameters of about 60-80 nm and lengths of several tens of micrometers were produced using a simple thermal co-evaporation method at a substrate temperature of similar to 540 degrees C. The electrical conductivity of as-synthesized ITO NW was similar to 115.9 S/cm at room temperature. Photocurrent generation devices were prepared by self-assembling di(3-aminopropyl)viologen and Ru(2,2'-bipyridine-4,4'-dicarboxylic acid)(2)(NCS)(2) on the surface of ITO NWs. The maximum photocurrent density of the device with an ITO NW electrode under illumination of 100 mW/cm(2) was 11.05 mu A/cm(2), which is about three orders of magnitude larger than that of the device with a bare ITO thin film electrode. The high photocurrent density could be attributed to the large surface area, high crystallinity, and electrical conductivity of the ITO NW electrode. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.