Rectangular Bunched Rutile TiO₂ Nanorod Arrays Grown on Carbon Fiber for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Abstract

Because of their special application in photovoltaics, the growth of one-dimensional single-crystalline TiO(2) nanostructures on a flexible substrate is receiving intensive attention. Here we present a study of rectangular bunched TiO(2) nanorod (NR) arrays grown on carbon fibers (CFs) from titanium by a "dissolve and grow" method. After a corrosion process in a strong acid solution, every single nanorod is etched into a number of small nanowires. Tube-shaped dye-sensitized solar cells are fabricated by using etched TiO(2) NRs-coated CFs as the photoanode. An absolute energy conversion efficiency of 1.28% has been demonstrated under 100 mW cm(-2) AM 1.5 illumination. This work demonstrates an innovative method for growing bunched TiO(2) NRs on flexible substrates that can be applied in flexible devices for energy harvesting and storage.