Journal
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
Volume 2, Issue 12, Pages 3572-3577Publisher
AMER CHEMICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1021/am100742s
Keywords
electrospinning; carbon nanofibers; dye-sensitized solar cells; counter electrode
Funding
- NSF [ECCS-0950731, NNX09-AP67A]
- South Dakota NSF
- EPSCoR
- Office Of The Director [0903804] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
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Electrospun carbon nanofibers (ECNs) have been explored as an electrocatalyst and low-cost alternative to platinum (Pt) for triiodide reduction in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). The results of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry measurements indicated that the ECN counter electrodes exhibited low charge-transfer resistance (R-ct), large capacitance (C), and fast reaction rates for triiodide reduction. Although the efficiency (eta) of ECN-based cells was slightly lower than that of Pt-based cells, their short circuit current density (J(sc)) and open circuit voltage (V-oc) were comparable. The ECN-based cells achieved an energy conversion efficiency (eta) of 5.5 % under the AM 1.5 illumination at 100 mW cm(-2). The reason for lower cell performance using the ECN electrode was because of its lower fill factor (FF) than that of Pt-based cells, probably caused by high total series resistance (R-Stot) at similar to 15.5 Omega cm(2), which was larger than that of similar to 4.8 Omega cm(2) in the Pt-based devices. Simulated results showed that the fill factor (FF) and eta could be substantially improved by decreasing R-Stot, which might be achieved by using thinner and highly porous ECNs to reduce the thickness of the ECNs counter electrode.
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