One-pot synthesis of Nb2O5-doped TiO2 nanoparticles

摘要

A one-pot synthesis of Nb 5 +-doped TiO 2 nanoparticles (NPs) with low cost and high efficiency for dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) is disclosed in the present invention. The Nb 5+ -doped TiO 2 NPs with Nb dopants of 0-5 mol% are prepared by directly mixing TiO 2 slurry with Nb 2 O 5 gel obtained by UV treatment of a mixture of NbCl 5 powder, ethanol and water in a certain ratio, following by heat treatment without using hydrothermal method. The as-prepared NPs exhibit well-crystallized pure anatase TiO 2 phase with uniform particle distribution. The incorporation of Nb 5+ leads to a stronger and broader light absorption in visible light range and a decrease of band gap with increasing Nb dopant content, which enhances the efficiencies of light-harvesting and electron injection and suppresses the charge recombination. The present method provides a simple and cost-effective mass-production route to synthesize n-type metallic ion doped TiO 2 nanoparticles as excellent photoanode materials.