SnO2 nanowires decorated with forsythia-like TiO2 for photoenergy conversion

We report forsythia-like TiO2-decorated SnO2 nanowires on fluorine-doped SnO2 electrode as a photoelectrode of dye-sensitized solar cells. When SnO2 nanowires grown via vapor-liquid-solid reaction were soaked in TiCl4 solution, leaf-shaped rutile TiO2 was grown onto the surface of the nanowires. The TiO2 decoration increases the short circuit current (Jsc), open circuit voltage (Voc) and fill factor (FF) of dye-sensitized solar cells. Further, electron lifetime increased by employing an atomic-layer-deposited TiO2 nanoshell between the TiO2 leaves and the SnO2 nanowire, due to preventing charge recombination at the nanowire/electrolyte interface.