Anatase type TiO2 nanorods and their preparation method

A process for preparing titania nanorods for dye sensitized or quantum-dot nanoparticle sensitized solar cells, comprising:

• (a) slowly adding dropwise chilled distilled water to titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) to prepare a solution of titanium oxychloride (TiOCl2);
• (b) adding basic solution the solution of titanium oxychloride to maintain pH of the titanium oxychloride solution within a range from 3.5 to 4, thereby providing a suspension of titanium oxyhydroxide (TiO(OH)2) precipitate;
• (c) adding basic solution the suspension of titanium oxyhydroxide precipitate to adjust the suspension of titanium oxyhydroxide precipitate to be weakly basic, and heating and stirring the mixture at 80 to 100° C.;
• (d) isolating and collecting titanium oxyhydroxide from the heated and stirred suspension of titanium oxyhydroxide precipitate, and washing the collected titanium oxyhydroxide with a weakly basic aqueous solution;
• and
• (e) adding distilled water and 20 to 500 fold of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) on the basis of 1 mole of Ti4+ in the titanium oxyhydroxide to the washed titanium oxyhydroxide to form a mixture, and heat-treating the mixture at a temperature of 90 to 100° C. for 1 to 7 days to prepare titania nanorods having a mean length of 100 nm to 300 nm.