Dye-sensitized solar cells fabricated with size-selected titanium dioxide nanowires via an electrospinning method

Two types of size-selected titanium dioxide (TiO ₂) nanowires (NWs) have been successfully synthesized via an electrospinning method and their structural and photovoltaic features investigated for use as a photoelectrode in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results show that two types of size-selected TiO ₂ NWs, which are made of anatase and rutile phases, have average diameters of ~100 nm and ~30 nm. Photocurrent-voltage curves show that the TiO ₂ NW photoelectrodes fabricated with a ~30 nm diameter exhibit a superior short-circuit current density of 10.86 mA/cm ² and a cell efficiency of 3.93%, for an area of 0.196 cm ² compared to those fabricated with a ~100 nm diameter, which is attributed to the increased specific surface area that allows for a higher rate of dye adsorption.