Novel highly active Pt/graphene catalyst for cathodes of Cu(II/I)-mediated dye-sensitized solar cells

Novel highly active, optically-transparent electrode catalyst containing Pt, PtOx, graphene oxide and stacked graphene platelet nanofibers is developed for a cathode of Cu(II/I)-mediated dye-sensitized solar cells. The catalyst layer is deposited on a FTO substrate, which thus becomes smoother than the parent FTO, but the button-like Pt/PtOx nanoparticles are still distinguishable. The found electrocatalytic activity for the Cu(tmby)(2)(2+/+) redox couple (tmby is 4,4', 6,6'-tetramethyl-2,2'-bipyridine) is outperforming that of alternative catalysts, such as PEDOT or platinum. Exchange current densities exceeding 20 mA/cm(2) are provided exclusively by our novel catalyst. The synergic boosting of electrocatalytic activity is seen, if we normalize it to the catalytic performance of individual components, i.e. Pt and graphene nanofibers. The outstanding properties of our cathode are reflected by the performance of the corresponding solar cells using the Y123-sensitized titania photoanode. Champion solar-conversion efficiency (11.3% at 0.1 sun) together with a fill factor of 0.783 compare favorably to all other so far reported best values for this kind of solar cells and the given experimental conditions. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

The Application of Electrospun Titania Nanofibers in Dye-sensitized Solar Cells

Titania nanofibers were fabricated using the industrial Nanospider (TM) technology. The preparative protocol was optimized by screening various precursor materials to get pure anatase nanofibers. Composite films were prepared by mixing a commercial paste of nanocrystalline anatase particles with the electrospun nanofibers, which were shortened by milling. The composite films were sensitized by Ru-bipyridine dye (coded C106) and the solar conversion efficiency was tested in a dye-sensitized solar cell filled with iodide-based electrolyte solution (coded Z960). The solar conversion efficiency of a solar cell with the optimized composite electrode (eta = 7.53% at AM 1.5 irradiation) outperforms that of a solar cell with pure nanoparticle film (eta = 5.44%). Still larger improvement was found for lower light intensities. At 10% sun illumination, the best composite electrode showed eta = 7.04%, referenced to that of pure nanoparticle film (eta = 4.69%). There are non-monotonic relations between the film's surface area, dye sorption capacity and solar performance of nanofiber-containing composite films, but the beneficial effect of the nanofiber morphology for enhancement of the solar efficiency has been demonstrated

Nanocrystalline Boron-Doped Diamond as a Corrosion-Resistant Anode for Water Oxidation via Si Photoelectrodes

Due to its high sensitivity to corrosion, the use of Si in direct photoelectrochemical (PEC) water-splitting systems that convert solar energy into chemical fuels has been greatly limited. Therefore, the development of low-cost materials resistant to corrosion under oxidizing conditions is an important goal toward a suitable protection of otherwise unstable semiconductors used in PEC cells. Here, we report on the development of a protective coating based on thin and electrically conductive nanocrystalline boron-doped diamond (BDD) layers. We found that BDD layers protect the underlying Si photoelectrodes over a wide pH range (1-14) in aqueous electrolyte solutions. A BDD layer maintains an efficient charge carrier transfer from the underlying silicon to the electrolyte solution. SiIBDD photo electrodes show no sign of performance degradation after a continuous PEC treatment in neutral, acidic, and basic electrolytes. The deposition of a cobalt phosphate (CoPi) oxygen evolution catalyst onto the BDD layer significantly reduces the overpotential for water oxidation, demonstrating the ability of BDD layers to substitute the transparent conductive oxide coatings, such as indium tin oxide (ITO) and fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO), frequently used as protective layers in Si photoelectrodes