Synthesis and characterization of TiO2 nanowires with controlled porosity and microstructure using electrospinning method

We have fabricated dye-sensitized solar cells consisting of TiO2 thin film as an electrode material. The porous anatase TiO2 nanowires were fabricated by a simple electrospinning process using a solution of dissolved poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) and titanium (IV) isopropoxide (TTIP) in ethanol. The relationship of solution viscosity, diameter and beads of the PVP/TiO2 composite nanowires was confirmed by FE-SEM. The TiO2 nanowires were obtained to removal PVP by calcination, and decided on calcination temperature by TG-DTA. The crystalline phases of calcined TiO2 nanowires were characterized by XRD. The anatase to rutile transformation and grain growth occurred during calcination of TiO2 nanowires confirmed by TEM. The surface area and porosity were calculated from isotherm data by the BET and BJH method. The TiO2 nanowires had higher surface area than a commercial powder (P25). Crown Copyright (c) 2011 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved