title: Virus-templated self-assembled single-walled carbon nanotubes for highly efficient electron collection in photovoltaic devices.
abstract: The performance of photovoltaic devices could be improved by using rationally designed nanocomposites with high electron mobility to efficiently collect photo-generated electrons. Single-walled carbon nanotubes exhibit very high electron mobility, but the incorporation of such nanotubes into nanocomposites to create efficient photovoltaic devices is challenging. Here, we report the synthesis of single-walled carbon nanotube-TiO(2) nanocrystal core-shell nanocomposites using a genetically engineered M13 virus as a template. By using the nanocomposites as photoanodes in dye-sensitized solar cells, we demonstrate that even small fractions of nanotubes improve the power conversion efficiency by increasing the electron collection efficiency. We also show that both the electronic type and degree of bundling of the nanotubes in the nanotube/TiO(2) complex are critical factors in determining device performance. With our approach, we achieve a power conversion efficiency in the dye-sensitized solar cells of 10.6%.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Xiangnan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Dang
authors.forename: Hyunjung
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.forename: Moon-Ho
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Ham
authors.forename: Jifa
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.forename: Dong Soo
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Yun
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ladewski
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Strano
authors.forename: Paula T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Hammond
authors.forename: Angela M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Belcher
mesh_terms: D004553:Electric Conductivity; D011211:Electric Power Supplies; D004579:Electron Transport; D004583:Electrons; D004867:Equipment Design; D008422:Materials Testing; D053761:Nanocomposites / Q000737:chemistry*; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D010316:Particle Size; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents / Q000737:chemistry*; D012993:Solar Energy; D013499:Surface Properties; D014025:Titanium / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents; C009495:titanium dioxide; D014025:Titanium