TiO2 single-crystalline nanorod electrode for quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells

Abstract

TiO2 single-crystalline nanorods are prepared from electrospun fibers which are composed of nanofibrils with an islands-in-a-sea morphology. The mechanical pressure produces each fibril into nanorods which are converted to anatase single crystals after calcination. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy shows that the (001) plane is growing along the longitudinal direction of the rod. In this work, the nanorod electrode provides the efficient photocurrent generation in a quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cell using highly viscous poly(vinylidenefluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene)-based gel electrolytes. The overall conversion efficiency of the TiO2 nanorods shows 6.2% under 100 mW/cm(2) (AM 1.5 G) illumination.