Synthesis and photoelectrical performance of nanoscale PbS and Bi 2 S 3 co-sensitized on TiO 2 nanotube arrays

Abstract

TiO₂ films have been widely applied in photovoltaic conversion techniques. TiO₂ nanotube arrays (TiO₂ NAs) can be grown directly on the surface of metal Ti by the anodic oxidation method. Bi₂S₃ and PbS nanoparticles (NPs) were firstly co-sensitized on TiO₂ NAs (denoted as PbS/Bi₂S₃(n)/TiO₂ NAs) by a two-step process containing hydrothermal and sonication-assisted SILAR method. When the concentration of Bi³⁺ is 5 mmol/L, the best photoelectrical performance was obtained under simulated solar irradiation. The short-circuit photocurrent (J_sc) and photoconversion efficiency (η) of PbS/Bi₂S₃(5)/TiO₂ NAs electrode were 4.70 mA/cm and 1.13 %, respectively.