engleski

Surface modified TiO2 nanotubes with spherical BaTiO3 nanoparticles for applications in solar cells

TiO2 is known as material with excellent chemical and photochemical stability was found that anatase is photocatalytically more active than rutile due to its large surface area. Ordered TiO2 nanostructures, including nanoparticles, nanotubes, and nanorods have garnered much research for their use in solar energy applications. In hybrid solar cells, the titania nanostructures accept electrons from photoexcited dye molecules or polymers adsorbed to the surface and direct the electrons into an external circuit. Hybrid solar cells with titania nanotubes have several advantages over other nanostructures and planar solar cells. The high surface area of nanotubes, compared to nanorods or flat surfaces, allows for more adsorption by electron donors such as molecular dyes and polymers, thus increasing solar photon absorption and charge collection (Roy 2011) [1]. In this research we will study different ways of modification of TiO2 nanotubes with the aim to increase solar absorbance and charge separation to increase efficiency for applications in solar cells. The nanotubes will be synthesized by electrochemical oxidation of Ti-foil. TiO2 nanotube arrays on substrates provide a superior platform for building up ordered heterojunctions for enhanced charge separation and electron transportation. The parameters of the TiO2 nanotubes will be finely tuned, allowing the optimization of device fabrication for different types of solar cells, such as DSSCs, hybrid solar cells.To obtained desired properties of the nanotubes, the nanotubes will be modified with BaTiO3 nanoparticles and dyes. For the structural characterization of all the titanate nanostructures we will used conventional and analytical transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques, scanning electron microscopy, XRD and Raman spectroscopy, and UV-Vis spectroscopy for measuring solar absorbance. With AFM we will study topography, ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of obtained heterosctructures.

BaTiO3/TiO2 heterostructure; tomography; piezoresponse; spherical nanoparticles

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