title: Nanopatterned conductive polymer films as a Pt, TCO-free counter electrode for low-cost dye-sensitized solar cells.
abstract: A low-cost nanopatterned highly conductive poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) thin film was fabricated on a flexible plastic substrate via a chemical polymerization method combined with a nanoimprinting technique and used as a platinum (Pt), TCO-free counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The catalytic properties of the nanopatterned PEDOT as the counter electrode in DSSCs were studied using cyclic voltammetry, J-V measurements, impedance spectroscopy, and finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations. The nanopatterned PEDOT counter electrodes exhibit better functionality as a counter electrode for tri-iodide reduction when compared to non-patterned PEDOT-based counter electrodes. The Pt and TCO-free DSSCs with a nanopatterned PEDOT-based counter electrode exhibited a power conversion efficiency of 7.1% under one sunlight illumination (100 mW cm(-2)), which is comparable to that of conventional DSSCs with standard platinum Pt/FTO paired counter electrodes. The ability to modulate catalytic functionality with changes in nanoscale morphology represents a promising route for developing new counter electrodes of Pt and TCO-free DSSCs.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440-746, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jeong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Veerappan
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ganapathy
authors.forename: Young Hun
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kyung-Deok
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Hong-Gyu
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Yongseok
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jun
authors.forename: Pil J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.forename: Jong Hyeok
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D019086:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic / Q000737:chemistry*; D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000737:chemistry*; D011211:Electric Power Supplies; D004566:Electrodes; D010984:Platinum / Q000737:chemistry*; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D012993:Solar Energy
chemical_list: D019086:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic; D004396:Coloring Agents; D011108:Polymers; C121383:poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene); D010984:Platinum