Publication Date:
2015-05-27
Description:
Highly crystalline mesoporous materials with oriented configurations are in demand for high-performance energy conversion devices. We report a simple evaporation-driven oriented assembly method to synthesize three-dimensional open mesoporous TiO 2 microspheres with a diameter of ~800 nm, well-controlled radially oriented hexagonal mesochannels, and crystalline anatase walls. The mesoporous TiO 2 spheres have a large accessible surface area (112 m 2 /g), a large pore volume (0.164 cm 3 /g), and highly single-crystal–like anatase walls with dominant (101) exposed facets, making them ideal for conducting mesoscopic photoanode films. Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) based on the mesoporous TiO 2 microspheres and commercial dye N719 have a photoelectric conversion efficiency of up to 12.1%. This evaporation-driven approach can create opportunities for tailoring the orientation of inorganic building blocks in the assembly of various mesoporous materials.
Electronic ISSN:
2375-2548
Topics:
Natural Sciences in General