'Mulberry-like' CdSe Nanoclusters Anchored on TiO2 Nanotube Arrays:A Novel Architecture with Remarkable Photoelectrochemical Performance

摘要

"Mulberry-like" CdSe nanoclusters with well-defined crystallinity have been assembled into vertically aligned TiO2 nanotubes by photo-assisted electrodeposition method to form new architecture for fabricating semiconductor nanocrystal sensitized photovoltaic cell. The multiple staked "mulberrylike" CdSe nanoclusters, caused by the synergistic effect of photoetching and electrodeposition, broaden the absorption spectra to entire visible region with a promising behavior of photoinduced charge separation. A photocurrent density of 16 mA cm~(-2) was achieved under 100 mW cm~(-2) visible light illumination with 0 V bias potential (vs SCE). The remarkable photoresponse should be ascribed to the high-quality of 3-D multijunction structure and the driving force for electron transfer in "mulberrylike" nanoclusters. The experimental demonstration provides a strategy for integrating novel "mulberry-like" nanoclusters to fabricate semiconductor nanocrystal sensitized photovoltaic cells.