Mixed-phase TiO2 nanorods assembled microsphere: crystal phase control and photovoltaic application

Peng Ruan; Jieshu Qian; Yifan Xu; Haixian Xie; Changlin Shao; Xingfu Zhou

doi:10.1039/C3CE40351C

Mixed-phase TiO₂ nanorods assembled microsphere: crystal phase control and photovoltaic application†

Peng Ruan,^a Jieshu Qian,^b Yifan Xu,^c Haixian Xie,^a Changlin Shao^a and Xingfu Zhou*^a

* Corresponding authors

^a State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University of Technology, Nanjing, China
E-mail: Zhouxf@njut.edu.cn
Fax: +86-25-83172270
Tel: +86-25-83172270

^b Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

^c Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School, 339 Nacoochee Drive, Rabun Gap, Georgia 30568, USA

Abstract

Here, mixed-phase TiO₂ nanorods assembled microspheres were fabricated via a facile one-step hydrothermal process. The synthesized samples were investigated employing X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Raman spectrometry, field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). The study shows the interesting symbiotic phenomenon occurred in the mixed anatase and rutile phase TiO₂. The mixed crystalline phase of anatase–rutile ratios were accurately tuned by adjusting the concentration of disodium edetate (EDTA). The crystalline phase has a great influence on their photovoltaic performance. The photoelectric conversion efficiency increases by 162% when the anatase weight ratio increases from 6% to 51%. While a 263% increase in the photoelectric conversion efficiency of the optimized mixed-phase TiO₂ nanorods is achieved when compared to the pure rutile phase TiO₂. Accordingly, the DSSCs based on the optimized mixed-phase TiO₂ nanorods assembled microspheres show a high open circuit voltage of 0.85 V and a conversion efficiency of 8.85% with a relative low dye adsorption of 0.99 × 10⁻⁷ mol cm⁻².

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/C3CE40351C
Article type: Paper
Submitted: 26 Feb 2013
Accepted: 18 Apr 2013
First published: 22 Apr 2013

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CrystEngComm, 2013,15, 5093-5099

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Mixed-phase TiO₂ nanorods assembled microsphere: crystal phase control and photovoltaic application

P. Ruan, J. Qian, Y. Xu, H. Xie, C. Shao and X. Zhou, CrystEngComm, 2013, 15, 5093 DOI: 10.1039/C3CE40351C

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Mixed-phase TiO₂ nanorods assembled microsphere: crystal phase control and photovoltaic application†

Abstract

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Mixed-phase TiO₂ nanorods assembled microsphere: crystal phase control and photovoltaic application

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