Branched double-shelled TiO2 nanotube networks on transparent conducting oxide substrates for dye sensitized solar cells

A novel three-dimensional branched double-shelled TiO2 nanotube network (3DNTNs) structure was constructed on transparent conducting oxide substrates (TCO) by using a ZnO-nanorod array template-assisted method. Various morphological features, such as branch length and population density, could be easily tailored by simply modifying the growth time. The performances of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) fabricated with TiO2 3DNTNs are higher than those assembled with 1-dimensional nanotube arrays. The hollow branches filling in the spaces between the double-shelled stem nanotubes increase the amount of dye-loading, resulting in an enhanced light-harvesting ability.