Recent applications of analytical techniques and electrochemical methods in characterizations of the titanium dioxide composites
Phuti S. Ramaripa, Kwena D. Modibane, Wilson M. Seleka, Thabang R. Somo, Edwin Makhado, Katlego Makgopa, Taofeek B. Ogunbayo
Abstract
This work reports on the characterisation techniques of titanium dioxide (TiO2) and its composites for photovoltaic studies and other applications. TiO2 is a good semiconductor material owing to its low-cost, superior thermal and chemical stability. The synthesised TiO2-based materials need to be analysed and characterised to check their suitability for the entire applications. As such, there is a need to study their structural, optical, morphology, thermal and electrochemical properties. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) composites are regarded as photo-anodes in the dye sensitized solar cells application. Therefore, they have received a great interest in energy applications due to their exceptional properties such as stability, high surface area, conductivity, and catalytic activities. TiO2 photo-anode has the drawback of high band gab of ~ 3.2 eV. To decrease the band gap of TiO2 photo-anode, metal organic framework (MOF) nanomaterials are incorporated into TiO2 to form a TiO2-MOF composite leading to a TiO2 with an enhanced photo-anode property. Herein, we report literature survey on characterization techniques used to analyse TiO2 nanomaterials and TiO2- composites. Hence, this review discusses comprehensive literature survey on analytical techniques that are used to study the chemical, physical and surface properties of TiO2 and its composites.