Search

Abstract: ZnO and TiO2 single-crystalline nanowires (SCNWs) are considered to be ideal materials for the photoanode of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) due to their superior property of electron transfer, however, a direct comparison between the above two systems has not been made. In the present work, ZnO and TiO2 SCNWs were synthesized directly on conductive glasses by wet chemical methods, and their sizes were kept identical. After being sensitized by N3 dye, the two kinds of nanowires were employed as photoanodes for assembling DSSCs. Comparative studies show that, although TiO2 SCNWs adsorb less dye molecules, they could effectively retard charge recombination and achieve longer electron lifetime than ZnO SCNWs; as a result, the DSSCs composed of TiO2 SCNWs exhibit higher performance than those of ZnO SCNWs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this work, self-supported NiTe nanosheets were prepared via one-step microwave method. XRD and XPS spectroscopy showed the successful synthesis of NiTe material in the hexagonal crystal system. SEM and EDS were used to identify the microscopic morphology and composition of NiTe on nickel foam (NF). The electrode demonstrated specific capacitance (Cs) of 808.9 F g−1 and ultra-long cycle life of 60,000 cycles. In addition, a solid-state asymmetric supercapacitor consisted of NiTe@NF electrode as cathode material and demonstrated the largest energy density and power density of 94.4 μWh cm−2 and 7801.8 μW cm−2, respectively, and the specific capacitance remained 83.3% after 20,000 cycles. Moreover, the as-obtained NiTe@NF catalyst also displayed an excellent catalytic activity for oxygen evolution reaction (OER), which achieved an ultra-low overpotential of 199.5 mV at 10 mA cm−2. [Display omitted] • The NiTe nanosheet offered outstanding specific capacitance of 808.9 F g−1. • Superior durability of 91.4% retention during 60,000 cycles. • The NiTe@NF electrode delivered a small Tafel slope and a low overpotential. • Self-supporting NiTe nanosheets were prepared within 150 s via a microwave method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]