Enhanced Conversion Efficiency in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Based on Hydrothermally Synthesized TiO₂−MWCNT Nanocomposites

Abstract

A 50% enhancement in the conversion efficiency (4.9-7.37%) is realized in dye-sensitized solar cells using hydrothermally synthesized TiO(2)-multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) nanocomposites as compared to hydrothermally synthesized TiO(2) without MWCNT and Degussa P25. Several characterizations have been employed to reveal the nature of the modification imparted to the MWCNTs under hydrothermal processing conditions and the resulting TiO(2)-MWCNT conjugation through -COOH groups. Efficient charge transfer in the nanocomposite and efficient electron transport by MWCNT (significantly higher incident-photon-to-current conversion efficiency) are suggested to be the possible reasons for the enhancement.

Anatase Titanium Dioxide Coated Single Wall Carbon Nanotubes Manufactured by Sonochemical-Hydrothermal Technique

“…The broadening of the peaks is reported to result from strain gradients in systems where TiO 2 is being chemically anchored to CNTs. These strain effects can extend several nm into materials [71]. To illustrate the relative broadening of the peaks, a measure of full Here the scans were ran from 2θ = 20˚ to 75˚.…”

“…Generally, most of these processes are either time consuming, cumbersome, expensive, lack the control for the deposition TiO 2 , and/or produce inferior results. A list of some of these processes include sol-gel [14][15][16][17][18], sol [19,20], hydrothermal [21,22], solvothermal [23], electrochemical oxidation [24], electrochemical deposition [25,26], electrophoretic co-deposition of TiO 2 -CNT films and deposition of TiO 2 onto CNT [27][28][29], alternative methods of sonochemical [30,31], chemical vapor deposition [32][33][34][35][36], and heterogeneous coagulation [37][38][39][40].…”

Sonochemical/hydration—dehydration synthesis of Pt—TiO2 NPs/decorated carbon nanotubes with enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production activity

“…Several recent studies have investigated the utility of coupling TiO 2 to carbon materials, such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), as an effective way to prevent the aggregation of oxide particles, leading to increased rates of photocatalytic oxidation of pollutants, or to decrease the rate of electron-hole recombination [13][14][15] by acting as sinks for photogenerated electrons in TiO 2 , 16,17 due to the favourable energetics of their electronic band structures, and they have been demonstrated a to have a helpful impact on the photocatalytic activity of H 2 production, by actuating synergies between the metal oxide and the carbon phase. 8,[18][19][20] For example, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) 9,[21][22][23] and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) 11,24 have been investigated to couple with TiO 2 , and the subsequent photoactivities are without a doubt moved forward. The accessible library of nanostructured catalysts has likewise proven that the combination of three nanomaterials represents a powerful strategy to increase more profoundly the various processes taking place during photocatalysis and, eventually, to increase the efficiency of energy conversion processes.…”

Silver Nanoparticles as Artificial Antennas for Enhanced Light-Harvesting and Charge Transfer in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

“…In optimizing the device performance and stability of DSSC, several research efforts have been expended on manipulating the corresponding architecture involving inorganic and organic systems as well as various interfaces so as to enhance the cell performance [32][33][34][35].…”