Direct Growth of TiO₂-Nanotubes on Ti-Mesh Substrate for Photoanode Application to Dye-sensitized Solar Cell

Direct Growth of TiO₂-Nanotubes on Ti-Mesh Substrate for Photoanode Application to Dye-sensitized Solar Cell

Partial anodic oxidation of Ti-mesh with a wire diameter of ~200[${\mu}m$] produces self-aligned $TiO_2$ nanotube arrays (~50[${\mu}m$] in length) on Ti-mesh substrate. The electrolyte used for anodic oxidation was an ethylene glycol solution with an addition of 1.5 vol. % $H_2O$ and 0.2 wt. % $NH_4F$. A dye-sensitized solar cell utilizing the photoanode structure of $TiO_2$-nanotube/Ti-mesh was fabricated without a transparent conducting oxide (TCO) layer, in which Ti-mesh replaced the role of TCO. The 1.93[%] photoconversion efficiency was low, which can be attributed to both insufficient dye molecules attachment and limited electrolyte flow to dye molecules. The optimized nanotube diameter and length as well as the $TiCl_4$ treatment can improve cell performance.