Short Communication A New Method for Preparation of TiO2 Nanowire Array-Based Photoanodes for Stable Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

We report the improvement of the open-air stability of photoanode in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) by treating the TiO2 nanowire array with silanization agent. The spatially accessible structure of the ordered one-dimensional TiO2 nanowire array facilitates the uniform polymerization of trichloromethylsilane. The formation of polysiloxane on the surface of N3-sensitized TiO2 nanowire was verified by Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDS) tests. The reaction time for silanization treatment was optimized to be 10 min. The formed polysiloxane can act as a capping layer to prevent the detachment of dye molecules from the surface of TiO2 nanowires. Current density-voltage (J-V) results displayed that silanization treatment can significantly improve the stability of the TiO2 nanowire array-based photoanode. No significant loss in cell efficiency was observed after the silane treated photoanode being exposed in air for 30 days