title: Nanocomposite semi-solid redox ionic liquid electrolytes with enhanced charge-transport capabilities for dye-sensitized solar cells.
abstract: The ability of Pt nanostructures to induce the splitting of the II bond in iodine (triiodide) molecules is explored here to enhance electron transfer in the iodine/iodide redox couple. Following the dispersal of Pt nanoparticles at 2 % (weight) level, charge transport was accelerated in triiodide/iodide-containing 1,3-dialkylimidazolium room-temperature ionic liquid. If both Pt nanoparticles and multi-walled carbon nanotubes were introduced into the ionic-liquid-based system, a solid-type (nonfluid) electrolyte was obtained. By using solid-state voltammetric (both sandwich-type and microelectrode-based) methodology, the apparent diffusion coefficients for charge transport increased to approximately 1×10(-6)  cm(2)  s(-1) upon the incorporation of the carbon-nanotube-supported iodine-modified Pt nanostructures. A dye-sensitized solar cell comprising TiO2 covered with a heteroleptic Ru(II) -type sensitizer (dye) and the semisolid triiodide/iodide ionic liquid electrolyte admixed with carbon-nanotube-supported Pt nanostructures yielded somewhat higher power conversion efficiencies (up to 7.9 % under standard reporting conditions) than those of the analogous Pt-free system.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Pasteura 1, 02-093 Warsaw (Poland).
authors.forename: Iwona A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Rutkowska
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Photonics and Interfaces, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Station 6, 1015 Lausanne (Switzerland).
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marszalek
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Pasteura 1, 02-093 Warsaw (Poland).
authors.forename: Justyna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Orlowska
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Pasteura 1, 02-093 Warsaw (Poland).
authors.forename: Weronika
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ozimek
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Photonics and Interfaces, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Station 6, 1015 Lausanne (Switzerland).|Center of Excellence for Advanced Materials Research (CEAMR), King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah (Saudi Arabia).
authors.forename: Shaik M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Zakeeruddin
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Pasteura 1, 02-093 Warsaw (Poland). pkulesza@chem.uw.edu.pl.
authors.forename: Pawel J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Kulesza
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Photonics and Interfaces, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Station 6, 1015 Lausanne (Switzerland). michael.graetzel@epfl.ch.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grätzel
mesh_terms: D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000737:chemistry; D011211:Electric Power Supplies; D004573:Electrolytes / Q000737:chemistry; D007454:Iodides / Q000737:chemistry; D007455:Iodine / Q000737:chemistry; D052578:Ionic Liquids / Q000737:chemistry*; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D053761:Nanocomposites / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010984:Platinum / Q000737:chemistry; D011725:Pyridines / Q000737:chemistry; D012428:Ruthenium / Q000737:chemistry; D012993:Solar Energy
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents; D004573:Electrolytes; D007454:Iodides; D052578:Ionic Liquids; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D011725:Pyridines; D010984:Platinum; D012428:Ruthenium; D007455:Iodine
keywords: iodine; nanoparticles; nanotubes; platinum; voltammetry