Recent advances in multifunctional nanocarbons used in dye-sensitized solar cells

Abstract

Throughout recent years the implementation of nanocarbons into dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) has resulted in important breakthroughs. The most relevant of them in this context are (i) the enhancement of charge transport and charge collection in nanocarbon-doped electrodes, (ii) the introduction of nanocarbon interlayers that simultaneously reduce the charge recombination and increase the charge collection efficiency, (iii) the use of nanocarbon-based, iodine-free, solid-state electrolytes featuring excellent diffusion coefficients and catalytic efficiencies, (iv) the use of novel nanocarbon-based hybrid dyes, and (v) the use of nanocarbons towards platinum-free counter electrodes. The first four aforementioned aspects are thoroughly described in this review. Broader contextThroughout recent years the implementation of nanocarbons into dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) has resulted in important breakthroughs. The most relevant of them in this context are (i) the enhancement of charge transport and charge collection in nanocarbon-doped electrodes, (ii) the introduction of nanocarbon interlayers that simultaneously reduce the charge recombination and increase the charge collection efficiency, (iii) the use of nanocarbon-based, iodine-free, solid-state electrolytes featuring excellent diffusion coefficients and catalytic efficiencies, (iv) the use of novel nanocarbon-based hybrid dyes, and (v) the use of nanocarbons towards platinum-free counter electrodes. The rst four aforementioned aspects are thoroughly described in this review.

Multiwalled carbon nanotube-titania nanocomposites: Understanding nano-structural parameters and functionality in dye-sensitized solar cells

“…Electron recombination/loss pathways such as the dye transferring electrons to the redox mediators instead of the semi-conductor, ineffective transfer of electrons from the redox mediator to the dye, and various interfacial resistances all contribute to lowering the V OC . 1,3 The samples synthesized using the sol-gel method showed an increase in V OC from 5-10 wt.% of MWCNTs doping, and this was directly related to the increase in surface area (Table 3). The increased surface area resulted in a larger and more effective distribution and layering of the dye molecules and therefore greater photo-conversion.…”

“…[1][2][3] The total insolation is given by the product of incident light per unit area and total area. Several devices were assembled from each sample and two experiments were done per device and the best data were recorded and presented in Table 4.…”

“…10,14,22,23 Carbon nanotubes can be simply described as a rolled up sheet of graphene, and based on the number of sheets they can be classified as single, double, and multiwalled CNTs. 3 Multiwalled CNT (MWCNTs) are relatively easy to synthesize via the chemical vapour deposition method, and manipulation, purification, and modification can be accomplished using various methods in a moderately equipped laboratory 24 . Use of MWCNTs in DSSCs is an active area of research, and early work in this field used MWCNTs in DSSCs as either a counter electrode, 25 an additive, 26 or as a nanocomposite material.…”

“…DSSCs are relatively simple systems that can be assembled with minimal amounts of inexpensive materials, operate under varying light conditions and temperatures, can be assembled or moulded into various shapes, configurations, and colours. 1 DSSCs are photo-electrochemical systems that use a dye to capture energy from sunlight, transfer this to a metal oxide such as zinc oxide 1,2 or titania, [1][2][3] and eventually via several physical-chemical processes provide a usable current. Titania is the most widely used metal oxide in DSSCs and is the one component in the system that is widely studied to try to improve overall performance of DSSCs.…”

Nanocarbons as Electron Donors and Acceptors in Photoinduced Electron-Transfer Reactions

“…[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] Carbon nanotubes, in particular single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), have also been used as electron acceptors in electron donor-acceptor hybrids. [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26] Nanocarbons can also act as electron donors provided that relatively strong electron acceptors are employed in nanocarbon-electron acceptor hybrids. This paper focuses on such electron donor-acceptor nanohybrids in which nanocarbons are used as not only electron acceptors but also as electron donors, expanding the scope of the applications of nanocarbons.…”