title: Pt Nanourchins as Efficient and Robust Counter Electrode Materials for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.
abstract: This study reports on the synthesis of Pt nanourchins (PtNUs) on FTO glass surfaces and their application as an efficient and robust counter electrode (CE) in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). PtNUs with sizes in the range of 100-300 nm are successfully synthesized on FTO surfaces via a simple room temperature chemical reduction of H2PtCl6 using formic acid. Note that the PtNUs have numerous Pt nanowires with 2 nm diameters and 12 nm lengths. The PtNU CE exhibits very low charge-transfer resistance for DSCs. The efficiency of DSCs fabricated with PtNU CEs is 9.39%, which is higher than that of devices assembled with Pt-sputtered CEs (8.51%).
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Chungnam National University , 220 Gung-Dong, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon 305-764, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Van-Duong
authors.initials: VD
authors.lastname: Dao
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Chungnam National University , 220 Gung-Dong, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon 305-764, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ho-Suk
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Choi
keywords: counter electrode; dye-sensitized solar cells; formic acid; nanourchin; platinum