Ordered multimodal porous carbon as highly efficient counter electrodes in dye-sensitized and quantum-dot solar cells.
Ordered multimodal porous carbon (OMPC) was explored as a counter electrode in ruthenium complex dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and CdSe quantum-dot solar cells (QDSCs). The unique structural characteristics such as large surface area and well-developed three-dimensional (3-D) interconnected ordered macropore framework with open mesopores embedded in the macropore walls make the OMPC electrodes have high catalytic activities and fast mass transfer kinetics toward both triiodide/iodide and polysulfide electrolytes. The efficiency (ca. 8.67%) of the OMPC based DSSC is close to that (ca. 9.34%) of the Pt based one. Most importantly, the QDSC employing OMPC material presents a high efficiency of up to 4.36%, which is significantly higher than those of Pt- and activated carbon based solar cells, ca. 2.29% and 3.30%, respectively.
Fan
Sheng-Qiang
SQ
Department of Advanced Materials Chemistry, Korea University, 208 Seochang, Jochiwon, ChungNam 339-700, Republic of Korea.
Fang
Baizeng
B
Kim
Jung Ho
JH
Jeong
Banseok
B
Kim
Chulwoo
C
Yu
Jong-Sung
JS
Ko
Jaejung
J