title: Preparation of Carbon Nanotube/TiO2 Mesoporous Hybrid Photoanode with Iron Pyrite (FeS2) Thin Films Counter Electrodes for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell.
abstract: Multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)/TiO2 mesoporous networks can be employed as a new alternative photoanode in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). By using the MWCNT/TiO2 mesoporous as photoanodes in DSSC, we demonstrate that the MWCNT/TiO2 mesoporous photoanode is promising alternative to standard FTO/TiO2 mesoporous based DSSC due to larger specific surface area and high electrochemical activity. We also show that iron pyrite (FeS2) thin films can be used as an efficient counter electrode (CE), an alternative to the conventional high cost Pt based CE. We are able to synthesis FeS2 nanostructures utilizing a very cheap and easy hydrothermal growth route. MWCNT/TiO2 mesoporous based DSSCs with FeS2 CE achieved a high solar conversion efficiency of 7.27% under 100 mW cm(-2) (AM 1.5G 1-Sun) simulated solar irradiance which is considerably (slightly) higher than that of A-CNT/TiO2 mesoporous based DSSCs with Pt CE. Outstanding performance of the FeS2 CE makes it a very promising choice among the various CE materials used in the conventional DSSC and it is expected to be used more often to achieve higher photon-to-electron conversion efficiencies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Energy Systems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Yalova University, 77100, Yalova, Turkey.
authors.forename: Bayram
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kilic
authors.affiliation: Department of Energy Systems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Yalova University, 77100, Yalova, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sunay
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Turkdogan
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Art, Erzincan University, Erzincan, 24100 Turkey.
authors.forename: Aykut
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Astam
authors.affiliation: Department of Energy Systems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Yalova University, 77100, Yalova, Turkey.
authors.forename: Oguz Can
authors.initials: OC
authors.lastname: Ozer
authors.affiliation: Department of Energy Systems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Yalova University, 77100, Yalova, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mansur
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Asgin
authors.affiliation: Department of Aeronautical Engineering, Istanbul Technical University, Maslak 34469, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hulya
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cebeci
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Metallurgical Engineering, Istanbul Technical University, Maslak 34469, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Deniz
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Urk
authors.affiliation: TUBITAK MAM Institute of Materials, Gebze, Kocaeli, 41400 Turkey.
authors.forename: Selin Pravadili
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Mucur