Flexible, Low Cost, and Platinum-Free Counter Electrode for Efficient Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.
A platinum-free counter electrode composed of surface modified aligned multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) fibers was fabricated for efficient flexible dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Surface modification of MWCNTs fibers with simple one step hydrothermal deposition of cobalt selenide nanoparticles, confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction, provided a significant improvement (∼2-times) in their electrocatalytic activity. Cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy suggest a photoelectric conversion efficiency of 6.42% for our modified fibers, higher than 3.4% and 5.6% efficeincy of pristine MWCNTs fiber and commonly used Pt wire, respectively. Good mechanical and performance stability after repeated bending and high output voltage for in-series connection suggest that our surface modified MWCNTs fiber based DSSCs may find applications as flexible power source in next-generation flexible/wearable electronics.
Department of Chemistry, Quaid-i-Azam University , Islamabad 45320, Pakistan.|Department of Chemistry, Fudan University , 220 Handan Road, Shanghai 200433, China.
Abid
A
Ali
College of Information Science and Electronic Engineering and State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials, Zhejiang University , Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310027, China.
Khurram
K
Shehzad
Department of Chemistry, Fudan University , 220 Handan Road, Shanghai 200433, China.
Faiz
F
Ur-Rahman
Department of Chemistry, Quaid-i-Azam University , Islamabad 45320, Pakistan.
Syed Mujtaba
SM
Shah
Department of Chemistry, Quaid-i-Azam University , Islamabad 45320, Pakistan.
Muhammad
M
Khurram
Materials Research Laboratory, Department of Physics FBAS, International Islamic University , Islamabad 44000, Pakistan.
Muhammad
M
Mumtaz
College of Materials Science & Engineering and College of Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University , Shenzhen 518060, PR China.
Rizwan Ur Rehman
RU
Sagar
CoSe nanoparticles; counter electrode; dye sensitized solar cell; flexible; multiwalled carbon nanotube fiber; platinum-free