Synthesis of Single-Crystalline Anatase TiO2 Nanorods With High-Performance Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Single-crystalline anatase TiO2 nanorods have been prepared by solvothermal method using tetrabutylammonium hydroxide (TBAH) as a morphology controlling agent. The obtained TiO2 nanorods are dominated by a large percentage of {010} facets. The power conversion efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) based on anatase TiO2 nanorods (8.66%) exhibits a significant improvement (35%) compared to that of P25 TiO2 (5.66%). The high performance of the anatase TiO2 nanorods solar cell is ascribed to their large percent of exposed {010} facets as well as balancing their surface areas and sizes.