A review on Titanium Oxide Nanotubes Production Methods (Template and Anodic Oxidation) as a Photo Anode for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Dye sensitized solar cells due to their relative stability, lower manufacturing cost and higher efficiency, have maintained their competition among renewable energies. There are many ways to improve the photo anode properties as the heart of a dye-sensitized solar cell and synthesis methods are important. Effects of anodic oxidation and templating as the two important synthesis methods are investigated. Studies showed surface area of nanotubes, electron mobility path, electron-hole recombination, etc. are optimized by synthesis methods and this affects the efficiency of solar cells. In anodization with a shift from HF-based acids to milder acids the efficiency of the solar cells increased from 0.04% to 5.9% also by using TiCl4 and increasing the surface roughness of the nanotubes it increased to 6.36%. The conversion efficiency of cell by using porous aluminum oxide as a hard template and zinc oxide with the aim of adhering TNT to the FTO layer with a hierarchical structure is reported 3.5% and 5.7%, respectively.