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Economical and highly efficient Pt-free counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells
- Source :
- Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects. 566:1-10
- Publication Year :
- 2019
- Publisher :
- Elsevier BV, 2019.
-
Abstract
- Fe-Co nanoparticle-incorporated carbon nanofibers ((Fe-Co)-CNFs) were obtained by a simple and flexible electrospinning method and were further pre-oxidized and carbonized under a high-temperature nitrogen atmosphere for application as counter electrodes for highly efficient platinum-free dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Electrochemical characterizations revealed that the (Fe-Co)-CNFs showed excellent electrocatalytic activity for the I3ā/Iā redox couple. Photoelectric performance tests have shown that dye-sensitized solar cells equipped with (Fe-Co)-CNF counter electrodes have comparable photovoltaic efficiency to platinum counter electrode cells. This is because the graphite properties of these fibers rendered them electronically conducting. One-dimensional nanofibers provide oriented electron transport pathways, while lapped fibers form a three-dimensional mesoporous network, enhancing the contact with the electrolyte, and hence leading to faster ionic reaction kinetics. This study demonstrates that (Fe-Co)-CNFs can be used as low-cost high-efficiency counter electrodes for DSSCs.
- Subjects :
- Auxiliary electrode
Materials science
Carbon nanofiber
02 engineering and technology
Electrolyte
010402 general chemistry
021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology
Electrochemistry
01 natural sciences
Electrospinning
0104 chemical sciences
Dye-sensitized solar cell
Colloid and Surface Chemistry
Chemical engineering
Nanofiber
Electrode
0210 nano-technology
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 09277757
- Volume :
- 566
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi...........540bda506c146ae2515d11e63bad8783
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfa.2019.01.010