Facile Synthesis of ZnO@TiO 2 Core‐Shell Nanorod Thin Films for Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells

ZnO nanorod thin films grown on fluorine‐doped tin oxide (FTO) glasses have been synthesized via facile thermal evaporation. To optimize the performance of dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), we fabricated ZnO@TiO 2 core‐shell composite by a simple dip‐coating method immersed in the mixed solution of Ti(OC 4 H 9 ) and ethanol. Results of solar cell testing showed that ZnO@TiO 2 core‐shell nanorod thin films on FTO significantly increased open circuit voltage (from 0.47 V to 0.53 V), short circuit current (from 10.78 mA/cm 2 to 13.98 mA/cm 2 ), and fill factor (from 51% to 55%). The photoelectric conversion efficiency (PEC) increased from 3.3% for bare ZnO DSSCs to 4.85% for ZnO@TiO 2 core‐shell structured DSSCs. This is mainly ascribed to the improvement in light harvesting efficiency, electron transfer, and the effective suppression of charge recombination.