Publication: Effect of optical property of surfactant-treated TiO 2 nanostructure on the performance of TiO 2 photo-electrochemical cell
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2012
Authors
Rahman M.Y.A.
Umar A.A.
Roza L.
Salleh M.M.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
TiO 2 nanostructures have been treated using different kind of surfactant to modify its optical absorption and morphology. TiO 2 nanostructures were prepared via simple method on indium tin oxide (ITO) surface, namely, liquidphase deposition technique (LPD) at 50�C. The TiO 2 nanostructures film with a thickness of about 236 nm was annealed at 400�C for 1 h in the air to enhance the interconnectivity of the particles. The dense and compact TiO 2 nanoparticle with different shape, particle size and surface morphology was used as a photovoltaic material in a photo-electrochemical cell of ITO/TiO 2/electrolyte/platinum. TiO 2 nanostructure films were treated with three different kinds of surfactants: cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). It was found that the film treated with HMT performed best, with a J sc of 57.5 ?A/cm 2. In conclusion, optical absorption, band gap and grain size of TiO 2 nanostructure influenced the performance of the cell.
Description
Keywords
Liquid phase deposition , Photo-electrochemical cell , Surfactant , TiO <sub>2</sub> nanostructure , Electrochemical cells , Light absorption , Nanostructures , Optical properties , Surface active agents , Tin , Tin oxides , Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide , Different shapes , Grain size , Indium tin oxide , Interconnectivity , Liquid phase depositions (LPD) , Liquid-phase deposition , Particle size and surfaces , Photovoltaic materials , Polyvinyl pyrrolidone , SIMPLE method , TiO , Titanium dioxide