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Carbon Nanoparticles for Counter Electrode Catalyst in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Prakash Joshi ,
Yu Xie ,
Jeremiah Mwaura ,
Mike Ropp ,
David Galipeau  and
Qiquan Qiao
Prakash Joshi
Affiliation:
Prakash.Joshi@sdstate.edu, South Dakota State University, Center for Advanced Photovoltaics, Department of Electrical Engineering, 201 Harding Hall, Brookings, SD, 57007, United States
Yu Xie
Affiliation:
yxie@jacks.sdstate.edu, South Dakota State University, Center for Advanced Photovoltaics, Department of Electrical Engineering, 201 Harding Hall, Brookings, SD, 57007, United States
Jeremiah Mwaura
Affiliation:
JMwaura@Konarka.com, Konarka Technologies, Lowell, MA, 01852, United States
Mike Ropp
Affiliation:
Michael.Ropp@sdstate.edu, South Dakota State University, Center for Advanced Photovoltaics, Department of Electrical Engineering, 201 Harding Hall, Brookings, SD, 57007, United States
David Galipeau
Affiliation:
David.Galipeau@SDSTATE.EDU, South Dakota State University, Center for Advanced Photovoltaics, Department of Electrical Engineering, 201 Harding Hall, Brookings, SD, 57007, United States
Qiquan Qiao
Affiliation:
Qiquan.Qiao@sdstate.edu, South Dakota State University, Center for Advanced Photovoltaics, Department of Electrical Engineering, 201 Harding Hall, Brookings, SD, 57007, United States
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Abstract

We report dye-sensitized solar cells using low cost carbon nanoparticles as an alternative to platinum as a counter-electrode catalyst for triiodide reduction. The counter carbon-electrode was deposited onto fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) by spin coating from an aqueous colloidal suspension of the blend of carbon nanoparticles and TiO2 nanocrystals. DSSC devices were fabricated using a stable Ru complex dye (Z-907) as the sensitizer. The cells based on carbon-nanoparticle counter electrode were made and then compared with those cells from platinum counter electrode at similar fabrication conditions. The results have shown that the device performance in terms of short circuit current density (Jsc), open circuit voltage (Voc) and energy conversion efficiency (η) from the cells based on carbon nanoparticle counter electrode were comparable to those from platinum counter-electrode devices. The carbon nanoparticle based cells have achieved an overall energy conversion efficiency of 5.55% under one sun AM 1.5 illumination (100 mW/cm2). The carbon nanoparticles showed significant potential as a low cost alternative to the current widely-used platinum.

Keywords

photovoltaicsolution depositionannealing
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1102: Symposium LL – Energy Harvesting–From Fundamentals to Devices , 2008 , 1102-LL01-05
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2008

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References

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