Preparation of large diameter and low density ZnS microtube arrays via a sacrificial template method

• Large diameter and low density ZnS microtube arrays are successfully prepared.
• ZnO microrod arrays are pre-prepared and used as sacrificial template.
• The inner tube diameter of ZnS is identical to the diameter of ZnO microrods.
• The application of these ZnS microtube arrays in photovoltaic devices is demonstrated.

The uniform low density ZnS microtube arrays with a large diameter of up to 1 um are prepared for the first time via a three-step approach. ZnO microrod arrays are first hydrothermally grown on fluorinated tin oxide glass as a sacrificial template, which are converted to ZnO/ZnS core/shell structures subsequently through a sulfidation process, ZnS microtube arrays are then obtained by selectively etching of ZnO cores. The unique properties of this large diameter and low density ZnS tube array are demonstrated by comparing it with those of small diameter and high density ZnS tube array for use in the hybrid film photoelectrode of dye-sensitized solar cells.

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