Graphene oxide nanosheets as an effective template for the synthesis of porous TiO2 film in dye-sensitized solar cells

Template method by using various organic components as the pore-forming agent is an effective strategy for the preparation of various porous inorganic materials. After high-temperature calcination in air, the organic components can be in situ decomposed into the gaseous CO2, resulting in the formation of porous structures in inorganic materials. In addition to the well-known organic components, it is highly required to develop new and simple carbon-containing template to prepare porous inorganic nanostructures. In this study, graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets were used as a new template for the preparation of porous TiO2 film photoelectrode, which can be applied in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The porous TiO2 film was fabricated via a three-step method, including the initially homogeneous grafting of GO nanosheets on the TiO2 surface (TiO2-GO), the preparation of TiO2-GO film using blade method and final formation of porous structure after the in situ removal of GO by high-temperature calcination. The effect of GO content on photoelectric conversion performance of the as-fabricated DSSCs was investigated. It was found that the conversion efficiency of DSSC based on porous TiO2-GO (0.75%) film reached up to a maximum value (4.65%), which was much higher than that of DSSC based on nonporous TiO2 film (4.01%). The enhanced conversion efficiency can be attributed to the formation of more porous structures caused by the GO nanosheets after high-temperature calcination. This work may provide a new insight for preparing other porous structured materials. (C)2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.