Synthesis of Cuboid-Shaped Single-Crystalline TiO2 Nanocrystals with High-Energy Facets {001} and Its Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Application

A new facile chemical approach has been developed to produce cuboid-shaped TiO2 nanocrystals with high-energy facets 1000 under stream-assisted ionothermal method. The structural features, crystallinity, purity, mesophase, and morphology of the nanostructured TiO2 were investigated by powder X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, selected-area electron diffraction, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller N-2 sorption measurement, ultraviolet-visible light diffuse reflectance spectroscopy studies, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. N-2 adsorption-desorption studies showed high surface areas (118.5-124.3 m(2) g(-1)) for these TiO2 samples. These mesoporous structure facilities the high dye-loading property and light harvesting in dye-sensitized solar cells. Short-circuit current density (J(sc)) of 12.6 inA cm(-2) and an overall power conversion efficiency of 4.21% have been achieved by utilizing these cuboid-shaped TiO2 photoelectrode in the DSSC with an open-circuit voltage (V-oc) of 0.67 V.