Fabrication of TiO2/SiO2 Inorganic Hollow Nanostructures for Energy Conversion & Storage Applications

Abstract

Abstract

Nanomaterials are used to develop existing fields or to pioneer new fields through superior physical properties and performance in material engineering. Particularly, the hollow nanostructures have attracted much interest in nanoscience and technology fields due to their high surface area, low density, supporting ability and light scattering. The hollow nanostructures are fabricated using convenient template methods and various other approaches. However, there are problems that need to be adjusted in size, morphology and uniformity. In addition, it is necessary to develop composite materials or add functional groups according to the needs of the application fields. This dissertation describes the application of inorganic hollow nanostructures as materials for energy conversion and storage. Silica/titania based hollow nanostructures were prepared by sol-gel method. In the case of nitrogen-doped carbon double shell hollow nanostructures, silica/titania double shell hollow nanoparticles were first fabricated by sol-gel mehod for template and then nitrogen-doped carbon double shell nanostructures were prepared using the template method. The silica/titania based hollow nanoparticles were applied to dye-sensitized solar cells and perovskite solar cells. The large surface area, light scattering effect and effective loading of the hollow nanostructures were used and the electron transfer effect according to the composition of the hollow nanostructure was utilized in energy conversion applications. Nitrogen-doped carbon double shell nanostructures were applied as materials for supercapacitors. The large surface area of dual structure and the oxidation-redox reaction of nitrogen doping improved the performance. As a result, the prepared inorganic hollow nanostructures improved the performance of energy conversion and storage applications.