Fabrication and characterization of TiO2 nanotube by hydrothermal method in the design of DSSC

In this work it was presented a direct formation of anatase TiO₂ nanotube by titanium powder using, as source material. TNT was prepared by hydrothermal synthesis method using with successive acid and heat treatment. This method proves a new route to fabricate DSSC with high electron to photon conversion efficiency. The phase identification of the samples was conducted with powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). The morphologies and structure of samples were observed through SEM and TEM. The results of the investigation showed that the anatase TiO₂ nanotubes have the outer diameters of around 10 nm. We fabricated DSSC with this well-aligned one-dimensional (1-D) titania nanotubes (TNT) on indium tin oxide (TCO) by doctor blading technique. The fabricated TNT photoelectrode showed 1.64% efficiency whereas the composite photoanode with the mixture of TNP + 30% TNT gives 2.06%. This method will surely be an exciting addition to the fast growth family of synthesis of oriented TiO₂ nanotubes.