Effect of optical property of surfactant-treated TiO_2 nanostructure on the performance of TiO_2 photo-electrochemical cell

摘要

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, liquid-phase 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 μA/cm ~2. In conclusion, optical absorption, band gap and grain size of TiO _2 nanostructure influenced the performance of the cell.