Synthesis of MoIn2S4@CNTs Composite Counter Electrode for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Abstract A ternary and composite MoIn2S4@CNTs counter electrode (CE) with a hedgehog ball structure was synthesized by using a facile one-step hydrothermal method. The composite MoIn2S4@CNTs film possesses large specific surface area through N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms test, which is advantageous to adsorb more electrolyte and provide larger active contact area for the electrode. In addition, the composite MoIn2S4@CNTs CE exhibits low charge transfer resistance and fine electrocatalytic ability made from a series of electrochemical tests including cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance, and Tafel curves. Under optimal conditions, the DSSC based on the MoIn2S4@CNTs-2 composite CE achieves an impressive power conversion efficiency as high as 8.38%, which remarkably exceeds that of the DSSCs with the MoIn2S4 CE (7.44%) and the Pt electrode (8.01%). The current work provides a simplified preparation process for the DSSCs.

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An in situ polymerized PEDOT/Fe3O4 composite as a Pt-free counter electrode for highly efficient dye sensitized solar cells

RSC Advances ◽

10.1039/c5ra21878k ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 1637-1643 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Min Zheng ◽

Jinghao Huo ◽

Yongguang Tu ◽

Jinbiao Jia ◽

Jihuai Wu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Counter Electrode ◽

Dye Sensitized Solar Cells ◽

Charge Transfer Resistance ◽

High Power Conversion Efficiency ◽

Transfer Resistance ◽

Dye Sensitized ◽

Large Active Area ◽

Low Charge ◽

Sensitized Solar Cells

PEDOT/Fe3O4 hybrid is in situ polymerized and used as Pt-free counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cell. Owing to large active area and low charge transfer resistance for the hybrid, the cell achieves a high power conversion efficiency of 8.69%.

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Edge-selectively antimony-doped graphene nanoplatelets as an outstanding counter electrode with an unusual electrochemical stability for dye-sensitized solar cells employing cobalt electrolytes

Journal of Materials Chemistry A ◽

10.1039/c6ta00789a ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 4 (23) ◽

pp. 9029-9037 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Hong Mo Kim ◽

In-Yup Jeon ◽

In Taek Choi ◽

Sung Ho Kang ◽

Sun-Hee Shin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Counter Electrode ◽

Dye Sensitized Solar Cells ◽

Charge Transfer Resistance ◽

Electrochemical Stability ◽

Transfer Resistance ◽

Graphene Nanoplatelet ◽

Dye Sensitized ◽

Doped Graphene ◽

Low Charge ◽

Sensitized Solar Cells

Edge-selectively antimony-doped graphene nanoplatelet electrocatalysts exhibited an extremely low charge transfer resistance with “zero-loss stability” for a cobalt redox couple.

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An Efficient Metal Conductor Paste/Nanoporous Carbon Composite Counter Electrode for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Advanced Materials Research ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.347-353.390 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 347-353 ◽

pp. 390-393 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Shun Jian Xu ◽

Yu Feng Luo ◽

Wei Zhong ◽

Guan Jun Qiao

Keyword(s):

Solar Cells ◽

Counter Electrode ◽

Electrochemical Impedance ◽

Short Circuit ◽

Dye Sensitized Solar Cells ◽

Nanoporous Carbon ◽

Charge Transfer Resistance ◽

Transfer Resistance ◽

Dye Sensitized ◽

Sensitized Solar Cells

A novel counter electrode has been fabricated at low temperature using nanoporous carbon (NC) with about 35 nm pore size as based catalysis materials and silver conductor paste (SCP) as connecting adhesive. The efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) employing this SCP/NC electrode reaches to 5.91%, which is 15% higher than that of DSCs with NC electrode. The improved efficiency is attributed to the enhancement in the fill factor and the short circuit photocurrent density. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy reveals that all of charge transfer resistance, ohmic serial resistance and Nernst diffusion impedance of SCP/NC electrode decrease compared with NC electrode. Especially, the efficiency of 5.91% is comparable to that of DSCs with Pt electrode.

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Influence of the interfacial charge-transfer resistance at the counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells employing cobalt redox shuttles

Energy & Environmental Science ◽

10.1039/c1ee02389f ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 4 (12) ◽

pp. 4921 ◽

Cited By ~ 165

Author(s):

Hoi Nok Tsao ◽

Julian Burschka ◽

Chenyi Yi ◽

Florian Kessler ◽

Mohammad K. Nazeeruddin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Solar Cells ◽

Charge Transfer ◽

Counter Electrode ◽

Dye Sensitized Solar Cells ◽

Charge Transfer Resistance ◽

Transfer Resistance ◽

Dye Sensitized ◽

Redox Shuttles ◽

Sensitized Solar Cells ◽

Interfacial Charge

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A Light Harvesting Policy on Black Counter Electrode for Enhanced Performance of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Journal of Solar Energy Engineering ◽

10.1115/1.4026099 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 136 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Chi-Hui Chien ◽

Ming-Lang Tsai ◽

Chi-Chang Hsieh ◽

Yan-Huei Li ◽

Yuh J. Chao

Keyword(s):

Solar Cells ◽

Counter Electrode ◽

Light Harvesting ◽

Electrochemical Impedance ◽

Dye Sensitized Solar Cells ◽

Tio2 Electrode ◽

Electrochemical Impedance Spectra ◽

Transfer Resistance ◽

Dye Sensitized ◽

Sensitized Solar Cells

This work presents a novel light harvesting policy for a black counter electrode (BCE) to enhance the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), which uses a metal-based light scattering layer (MLSL) that is formed from Al@SiO2 core-shell microflakes prepared and coated on BCE. DSSCs based on BCE with and without the MLSL are compared as well. Analysis results of electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) indicate that, while not affecting the charge transfer resistance at BCE, MLSL exhibits a low electron transport resistance in the TiO2/electrolyte interface. Our results further demonstrate that MLSL reflects light to the TiO2 electrode, subsequently increasing photocurrent density by 68.68% (from 2.65 to 4.47 mA/cm2) and improving the power conversion efficiency by 49.64%.

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Preparation of Nano-Ag-TiO2 Composites by Co-60 Gamma Irradiation to Enhance the Photocurrent of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

International Journal of Photoenergy ◽

10.1155/2019/5737952 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Le Thanh Nguyen Huynh ◽

Viet Hai Le ◽

Thanh Long Vo ◽

Thi Kim Lan Nguyen ◽

Quoc Hien Nguyen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Solar Cells ◽

Charge Transfer ◽

Electrochemical Impedance ◽

Dye Sensitized Solar Cells ◽

Energy Conversion Efficiency ◽

Charge Transfer Resistance ◽

Open Circuit ◽

Transfer Resistance ◽

Dye Sensitized ◽

Sensitized Solar Cells

Nano-silver-titanium dioxide (Ag-TiO2) composites were prepared from commercial TiO2 (P25, Degussa) and silver nitrate (AgNO3) by gamma Co-60 irradiation method with various initial concentrations of AgNO3. The nano-AgTiO2 composites are utilized as the photoanode for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). Under full sunlight illumination (1000 W/m2, AM 1.5), the efficiency of DSCs has improved significantly despite the Ag content of below 1%. The DSC—assembled with 0.75 Ag-TiO2 (0.75% Ag) photoanode—showed that the photocurrent was significantly enhanced from 8.1 mA.cm−2 to 9.5 mA.cm−2 compared to the DSCs using bared TiO2 photoanode. The unchanged open-circuit voltage resulted in the overall energy conversion efficiency to be increased by 25% from 3.75% to 4.86%. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) analysis showed that the charge transfer resistance is reduced when increasing Ag content, demonstrating that the charge transfer at TiO2/dye interface was enhanced in the presence of silver nanoparticles.

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Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Using Mesocarbon Microbead-Based Counter Electrodes

International Journal of Photoenergy ◽

10.1155/2012/709581 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 2012 ◽

pp. 1-6 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Chien-Te Hsieh ◽

Bing-Hao Yang ◽

Wei-Yu Chen

Keyword(s):

Solar Cells ◽

Charge Transfer ◽

Dye Sensitized Solar Cells ◽

Charge Transfer Resistance ◽

Counter Electrodes ◽

Transfer Resistance ◽

Dye Sensitized ◽

Catalytic Sites ◽

Low Charge ◽

Sensitized Solar Cells

The dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) equipped with mesocarbon microbead (MCMB)-based counter electrodes were explored to examine their cell performance. Three types of nanosized additives including platinum, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and carbon black (CB) are well dispersed and coated over microscaled MCMB powders. In the design of the counter electrodes, the MCMB graphite offers an excellent medium that allows charge transfer from the ITO substrate to the dye molecule. The active materials such as Pt, CNT, and nanosize CB act as an active site provider for the redox reaction. Among these counter electrodes, the DSCs fabricated with CB electrode exhibit the highest power conversion efficiency. This improved efficiency can be attributed to the fact that the CB nanoparticles not only offer a large number of catalytic sites but also low charge transfer resistance, facilitating a rapid reaction kinetics. Such design of carbon counter electrode has been confirmed to be a promising candidate for replacing Pt electrodes.

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Electrolyte Tuning in Iron(II)-Based Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells: Different Ionic Liquids and I2 Concentrations

Materials ◽

10.3390/ma14113053 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (11) ◽

pp. 3053

Author(s):

Mariia Becker ◽

Catherine E. Housecroft ◽

Edwin C. Constable

Keyword(s):

Ionic Liquids ◽

Solar Cells ◽

Counter Electrode ◽

Electrochemical Impedance ◽

Dye Sensitized Solar Cells ◽

Diffusion Resistance ◽

Transfer Resistance ◽

Dye Sensitized ◽

Average Maximum ◽

Sensitized Solar Cells

The effects of different I2 concentrations and different ionic liquids (ILs) in the electrolyte on the performances of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) containing an iron(II) N-heterocyclic carbene dye and containing the I–/I3– redox shuttle have been investigated. Either no I2 was added to the electrolyte, or the initial I2 concentrations were 0.02, 0.05, 0.10, and 0.20 M. The short-circuit current density (JSC), open-circuit voltage (VOC), and the fill factor (ff) were influenced by changes in the I2 concentration for all the ILs. For 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazole iodide (HMII), low VOC and low ff values led to poor DSC performances. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) showed the causes to be increased electrolyte diffusion resistance and charge transfer resistance at the counter electrode. DSCs containing 1,3-dimethylimidazole iodide (DMII) and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazole iodide (EMII) showed the highest JSC values when 0.10 M I2 was present initially. Short alkyl substituents (Me and Et) were more beneficial than longer chains. The lowest values of the transport resistance in the photoanode semiconductor were found for DMII, EMII, and 1-propyl-2,3-dimethylimidazole iodide (PDMII) when no I2 was added to the initial electrolyte, or when [I2] was less than 0.05 M. Higher [I2] led to decreases in the diffusion resistance in the electrolyte and the counter electrode resistance. The electron lifetime and diffusion length depended upon the [I2]. Overall, DMII was the most beneficial IL. A combination of DMII and 0.1 M I2 in the electrolyte produced the best performing DSCs with an average maximum photoconversion efficiency of 0.65% for a series of fully-masked cells.

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