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Improved performance of three-dimensional Ni–TiO2 core–shell nanowire photoanodes in dye-sensitized solar cells

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 October 2013

Gayatri Sahu  and
Matthew A. Tarr
Gayatri Sahu
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry and Advanced Materials Research Institute, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana 70148
Matthew A. Tarr*
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry and Advanced Materials Research Institute, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana 70148
*
Address all correspondence to Matthew A. Tarr at mtarr@uno.edu
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Abstract

We report a facile way to fabricate three-dimensional (3D) Ni–TiO2 core–shell nanowire arrays through anodic aluminum oxide template-assisted sol–gel TiO2 nanotube shell growth followed by Ni core using room temperature constant current electrodeposition. The 3D Ni–TiO2 nanowire-based dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) endows a 67% increase in conversion efficiency as compared with the TiO2 nanotube DSSC and maximum conversion efficiency of 5.07% was obtained by surface treating the photoanode with TiCl4, which provides enhanced light scattering and surface passivation. Indeed, this work paves the way to build reliable 3D Ni–TiO2 nanostructured photoanodes for highly efficient DSSCs.

Type
Research Letters
Information
MRS Communications , Volume 3 , Issue 4 , December 2013 , pp. 199 - 205
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2013 

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