Microsphere assembly of boron-doped Rutile TiO2 nanotubes with enhanced photoelectric performance

• Published in: Journal of materials science. Materials in electronics Vol. 26; no. 11; pp. 8915 - 8921
• Main Authors: Hu, Bin, Zhang, Qingsong, Niu, Laiyou, Liu, Juan, Rao, Jun, Zhou, Xingfu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.11.2015; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry and Materials Science; Materials Science; Optical and Electronic Materials; Boron Doping; TiO2 Electrode; TiO2 Nanorods; Rutile; TiO2
• ISSN: 0957-4522; 1573-482X
• DOI: 10.1007/s10854-015-3573-3

The boron-doped TiO 2 nanotubes assembled microspheres are fabricated for the first time based on our previously proposed anisotropic corrosion mechanism. The obtained samples are screen-printed onto the surface of FTO glass for the application in dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC). The XRD patterns demonstrate the main phase is rutile and the incorporated boron exists at interstitial sites of TiO 2 lattice. The Tafel curves indicate that the flat-band potential of boron doped TiO 2 shifts positively, while the band gap shown in the UV–visible spectra remains unchanged. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy is employed to investigate the charge transfer properties of DSSCs which shows boron-doped TiO 2 has enhanced electron conductivity and extended electron lifetime. Both advantages are of great importance for the boron-doped photovoltaic device to achieve the favorable photoelectric conversion efficiency of 2.98 % under AM 1.5 illumination of 100 mW cm −2 , which is 51 % higher than that of the un-doped one.