Room temperature growth of CuO nanorod arrays on copper and their application as a cathode in dye-sensitized solar cells

Vertically aligned CuO nanorod arrays on copper electrodes with diameters of ∼5 nm and lengths of hundreds of nanometers were synthesized successfully using a simple wet chemical method at room temperature. The composition, morphology, and growth conditions of the nanorods were characterized. We also show that the as-prepared CuO nanorod arrays are promising hole-transport media of dye-sensitized hetero-junctions for solar energy conversion.