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Hydrophilic carbon/TiO2 colloid composite: a potential counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells

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Abstract

A new type of counter electrode (CE), composed of hydrophilic carbon (HC) particle and TiO2 colloid (HC/TiO2), was successfully prepared using doctor blade technique on fluorine-doped tin oxide substrate for dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). Properties of HC/TiO2 CE, including crystal structure, surface morphology, roughness, conductivity, and catalytic activity, were analyzed. Results showed that a HC/TiO2 CE with an average thickness of 1 µm contributed to high surface roughness. Cyclic voltammetry further revealed that HC/TiO2 CE displayed good catalytic activity similar to that of Pt electrode, which is mainly attributed to an addition of TiO2 in the electrode. DSSC was fabricated with HC/TiO2 CE. Under one sun illumination (AM 1.5, P in of 100 mWcm−2), the device exhibited an energy conversion efficiency of 1.9 %, which is comparable to 3.6 % of the cell with Pt electrode under the same experimental conditions. These findings suggest that HC/TiO2 CE is a promising alternative CE for low-cost DSSCs.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the financial assistance provided by the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (ICONIC-2013-006) and appreciate the contribution of the Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI) of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Malaysia–Japan International Institute of Technology, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), 54100, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Malaysia

    Mojgan Kouhnavard, Babak Vazifehkhah Ghaffari, Shoichiro Ikeda & Mikio Miyake

  2. Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

    Norasikin Ahmad Ludin & Kamaruzzaman Sopian

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  1. Mojgan Kouhnavard
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  2. Norasikin Ahmad Ludin
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Correspondence to Mojgan Kouhnavard.

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Kouhnavard, M., Ludin, N.A., Ghaffari, B.V. et al. Hydrophilic carbon/TiO2 colloid composite: a potential counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells. J Appl Electrochem 46, 259–266 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10800-015-0910-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10800-015-0910-4

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