Enhancing in the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells by the incorporation of functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes into TiO2 films: The role of MWCNT addition

Autor(es)

de Morais, Andreia ^[1] ; Loiola, Livia M. D. ^[1] ; Benedetti, Joao E. ^[1] ; Goncalves, Agnaldo S. ^[1] ; Avellaneda, Cesar A. O. ^[1] ; Clerici, Joao H. ^[2] ; Cotta, Monica A. ^[2] ; Nogueira, Ana F. ^[1]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] State Univ Campinas Unicamp, Lab Nanotechnol & Solar Energy, Inst Chem, BR-13083970 Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[2] State Univ Campinas Unicamp, Gleb Wataghin Phys Inst, BR-13870859 Campinas, SP - Brazil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: JOURNAL OF PHOTOCHEMISTRY AND PHOTOBIOLOGY A-CHEMISTRY; v. 251, p. 78-84, JAN 1 2013.
• Citações Web of Science: 23

Resumo

TiO2-MWCNT composite electrodes were prepared by a direct mixing method. The presence of acid-treated multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT-COOH) into the titanium dioxide (TiO2) photoanode was investigated by Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The morphological properties of the composite photoanodes were analyzed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FEG-SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The performance of quasi-solid state dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) using TiO2-MWCNT photoanodes was dependent on the MWCNT loading. Compared with a DSSC based on conventional TiO2 electrodes, the TiO2-MWCNT film containing 0.02 wt.% of carbon nanotubes provided an increase of ca. 30% in device's efficiency, which was attributed to an enhanced short-circuit current density (J(sc)). The improvement on J(sc) was correlated with an enhanced interconnectivity between MWCNT-COOH and TiO2 nanoparticles. The carbonaceous materials introduced an alternative electrical conduction pathway which facilitates rapid electron transport in the photoelectrode, as suggested from Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) measurements. At high MWCNT loading, we observed that the energy conversion efficiency decreased due to energy losses from the optical absorption of carbonaceous materials, and also due to an increase in charge recombination. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 09/50596-1 - Materiais nanoestruturados e sua aplicação em dispositivos de conversão de energia
• Beneficiário: Ana Flávia Nogueira
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular
• Processo FAPESP: 06/58998-3 - Preparação, caracterização e aplicação de eletrólitos poliméricos gel em células solares TiO2/corante
• Beneficiário: João Eduardo Benedetti
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Doutorado
• Processo FAPESP: 10/18656-1 - Preparação e caracterização de compósitos de nanopartículas de TiO2 e ZnO contendo materiais carbonáceos e sua aplicação em células solares
• Beneficiário: Andreia de Morais
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Doutorado
• Processo FAPESP: 08/51001-9 - Células solares híbridas e fotoeletroquímicas baseadas em nanopartículas e nanorods de ZnO e ZnO:Ga
• Beneficiário: Agnaldo de Souza Gonçalves
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Pós-Doutorado