A simple method for producing mesoporous anatase TiO2 nanocrystals with elevated photovoltaic performance

 Mesoporous anatase TiO2 nanocrystals with high crystallinity and large surface area were synthesized by an easy one-step method, combining hydrolysis and alcothermal processes, without the use of a templating agent. The photovoltaic performance of photoanodes for dye-sensitized solar cell under 1 sun (AM 1.5G) illumination gave a solar conversion efficiency as high as 6.06%, an enhancement of ∼20% with respect to that of a reference photoanode made of a commercial TiO2 (Degussa, P25) powder.