Novel Preparation of Anatase TiO₂@Reduced Graphene Oxide Hybrids for High-Performance Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Abstract

An effective method was developed to prepare hybrid materials of TiO2 nanoparticles on reduced graphene oxide (RGO) sheets for application in solar cells. The morphology, size, and crystal phase of the TiO2 nanoparticles and TiO2@reduced graphene oxide (TiO2@RGO) hybrids were investigated in detail by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman, and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. A possible growth mechanism of TiO2@RGO hybrids is proposed based on observations of the TiO2 nanoparticles obtained from the hydrolysis process under different conditions. The effects of different reduced graphene oxide contents on the energy conversion efficiency of the dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) based on J-V and incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE) spectra are also discussed. DSSCs based on TiO2@RGO hybrid photoanodes with a graphene content of 1.6 wt % showed an overall light-to-electricity conversion efficiency of 7.68%, which is much higher than that of pure anatase nanoparticles (4.78%) accompanied by a short-circuit current density of 18.39 mA cm(2), an open-circuit voltage of 0.682 V, and a fill factor of 61.2%.

The Synthesis of Nb-doped TiO2 Nanoparticles for Improved-Performance Dye Sensitized Solar Cells

“…Fig. 5(d) shows a two-band structure, the main peak for the O1s electron binding energy for TiO 2 (O L ) and the other peak at relative high binding energy attributed to the adsorbed OH groups (O H ) [23]. The Fig.…”

Graphene based metal and metal oxide nanocomposites: synthesis, properties and their applications

“…Furthermore, due to their high conductivity and low cost, the HRG/TiO 2 nanocomposites have become attractive electrode materials for solar cells, electrochemical sensors and biosensors applications, where the TiO 2 NPs exhibit improved electrochemical properties through the support of graphene. [375][376][377] Recently, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) were fabricated using HRG/TiO 2 photoanodes, where 0.5 wt% incorporated graphene demonstrated a power conversion efficiency of 4.28%, which is 59% higher than that without graphene. The incorporated graphene, apart from increasing the dye adsorption also enhanced the electron lifetime significantly.…”

Same titanium glycolate precursor but different products: successful synthesis of twinned anatase TiO2 nanocrystals with excellent solar photocatalytic hydrogen evolution capability

“…In previous work, we successfully synthesized TiO 2 @carbon material hybrid nanostructures via a nanoprecursor-involved hydrothermal process, [26][27][28] in which the spherical titanium glycolate precursors were hydrolyzed into titanium oxide from a nanoporous to a nanoparticulate structure. This phenomenon inspired us to manipulate the stability and transformation of titanium glycolate precursors by adjusting the experimental conditions involved in the wet-chemical synthesis and to study their effects on the formation and growth of the final TiO 2 nanocrystals.…”

“…The titanium glycolate precursor was synthesized according to our previously reported procedure. 26,29,30 In a typical synthesis, 2 mL of tetrabutoxytitanium was added to 50 mL of ethylene glycol and was magnetically stirred for 2 hours at 60°C in a water bath. After cooling down to room temperature, the mixture was poured into a mixed solution of acetone and de-ionized water (v/v = 150 mL/30 mL).…”