Nb-doped TiO2 nanoparticles were prepared by hydrothermal treatment of titanate nanotubes in niobium oxalate aqueous solution.The effect of Nb doping and rutile content on the photoelectrochemical performance based on TiO2 powder electrodes was investigated.The results show that Nb-doped TiO2 with a small amount of rutile exhibits the enhanced photoelectric conversion efficiency for dye-sensitized solar cell.The highest photoelectric conversion efficiency of 8.53%is obtained for 1%Nb—TiO2 containing a small amount of rutile.When a small amount of rutile contained in 2%Nb—TiO2,a higher photoelectric conversion efficiency of8.77%is achieved.
Rutile TiO2 nanowire array films with multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) inclusion perpendicularly grown on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate were prepared by a facile hydrothermal method. The absorption edges of the TiO2 nanowire array films are blue-shifted with increasing MWCNT content. The resistance of the TiO2 nanowire array film is decreased by MWCNT inclusion. The optimum TiO2/MWCNT molar ratio in the feedstock is 1:0.1. For the TiO2 nanowire array film with MWCNT inclusion served as electrode in dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC), an overall 194% increase of photoelectric conversion efficiency has been achieved.