Well-oriented TiO2 nanorod (NR) arrays were fabricated directly on conductive side of F/SnO2 substrates via hydrothermal technique. The effect of growth time on the TiO2 NR thin film was examined. Field emission scanning electron microscope revealed that NRs exhibited a tetragonal structure with square top facets. Thickness measurements indicated that the thicknesses of the samples increased from 0.234μm to 1.544μm as the growth time was extended. The investigation of XRD indicates that the TiO2 films are single-crystalline type of rutile. The effect of growth time on optical and electrical properties has been studied. With optimum growth time, dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) efficiency of 1.48% could be reached using 1.544μm long TiO2 NR arrays as electrode.
