Comparison of crystalline structure, electron transport properties and efficiency in open and closed bottom titanium dioxide nanotube dye sensitized solar cells

Titanium dioxide nanotubes are electrochemically anodized on titanium foil. In the present work, a titanium dioxide nanotube membrane with an open and closed bottom is separated from the titanium substrate and a comparison is made between the dye sensitized solar cells made of them. We used the potential shock method to have open-bottomed nanotubes. The optimum shock parameters of the potential to have a strong nanotube membrane with a fully open bottom, a shock voltage of 160 V and an application time of 180 s were calculated. We show that the use of such a nanotube membrane can lead to a significant increase in the efficiency of dye sensitized solar cells (ƞ=8.73%). Intensity modulated photocurrent spectroscopy (IMPS) as well as Intensity modulated photovoltage spectroscopy (IMVS) showed faster electron transport and longer recombination time in photoanodes made of open-bottom nanotubes compared to closed-bottom nanotubes. X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra show similar crystal properties in both structures.