Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
Nanocrystalline titanium dioxide has been synthesized using a sol-gel technique followed by hydrothermal growth at temperatures in the range 190-270°C. Thin films of these colloids were studied using x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and nitrogen adsorption/desorption. Self-organization of the nanocrystalline particles in regular arrays was observed in films made from colloids autoclaved at lower temperatures. We present herein initial photovoltaic performance of these semiconducting films used as working electrodes in a dye-sensitized solar cell.