Influence of structural deformation on dye-sensitized solar cells with anodically fabricated self-organized TiO₂ nanotubes

In the present study, various lengths of self-organized TiO₂ nanotubes (TNTs) with and without structural disorder were grown on a Ti-sheet by anodization of the sheet, and their photovoltaic performance was investigated by using them as photo-anodes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The common structural disorders of the nanotubes which are often encountered in TNTs based DSSCs and their influence on photovoltaic performance was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). SEM and EIS investigation showed that TiO ₂ nanotube arrays attached firmly and aligned perpendicularly without any structural disorder to the Ti-substrate could significantly improve the performance of DSSCs.