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Synthesizing One-Dimensional TiO2 Nanostructure for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Application

Mojaddami, Majdoddin | 2013

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  1. Type of Document: M.Sc. Thesis
  2. Language: Farsi
  3. Document No: 45528 (07)
  4. University: Sharif University of Technology
  5. Department: Materials Science and Engineering
  6. Advisor(s): Madaah Hosseini, Hamid Reza; Mohammadi, Mohammad Reza
  7. Abstract:
  8. Over the past several years, TiO2 has become a focus of considerable researches as it possesses unique optical, catalytic and electrical properties in different applications such as sensors, water purification and dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). The goal of this research was synthesis of 1-Dimentional TiO2 nanostructure with suitable properties for DSSC applications. Two different TiO2 powders including micron-size anatase and mesoporous powders (produced from reaction of TiC and HNO3) along with KOH or NaOH were employed in hydrothermal process. The process was performed in two different containers including autoclave and balloon-shaped flask. The products were characterized by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), dye adsorption and solar simulation methods. XRD results demonstrated that the mesoporous powder had anatase structure. SEM results illustrated that the hydrothermal process of micron-size powder in autoclave resulted in a mixture of packed cluster of nanotubes, nanoparticles and nanorod clusters. Hydrothermally grown skein-like nanotubes in autoclave were obtained using mesoporous TiO2 powder. It was found that the reaction time of hydrothermal process in the range 6-24 h had no significant effect on length and diameter of nanotubes. Skein-like nanotubes were also grown hydrothermally in a balloon-shaped glass flask at low pressure. Therefore, TiO2 nanotube can be produced by a straightforward, facile and low cost hydrothermal process using a balloon-shaped glass flask at low pressure with similar characteristics to that of grown by the same process using an autoclave. The DSSC made of the optimized 1-dimentional TiO2 nanostructure, having 223/76 m2.g-1 surface area, had the highest efficiency of 5.53% which is a record in application of randomly-oriented pristione TiO2 nanotubes in DSSCs
  9. Keywords:
  10. Titanium Dioxide ; Dye Sensitized Solar Cells ; Mesoporous Materials ; Hydrothermal Method ; Titanium Dioxide Nanostructure ; Titanium Oxide Nanotube

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