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Multi-walled carbon nanotube/barbituric acid-based dye/TiO2 nanocomposite as a photoanode in dye-sensitized solar cell: activation of the dye with MWCNTs

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Abstract

The application of a new barbitoric acid based dye (5-[(3,5-dicarboxyphenyl)azo]-barbituric acid) for the fabrication of dye sensitized solar cell is demonstrated. Simply, a mixture of multi-walled carbon nanotubes and the dye, mixed under ultrasonication, is used as a photosensitive agent of photoanode. Carbon nanotubes addition to the photoanode activates the dye to function as the sensitive element of the cell. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was employed for the extraction of electrochemical parameters of the cells. According to the I/V curves the essential indexes of the solar cell including: current density at short circuit condition (Jsc), voltage at open circuit condition (Voc), fill factor (FF) and photon to current conversion efficiency (PCE) are improved in the presence of carbon nanotubes. Carbon nanotubes interaction with the dye not only improves the dye absorbance efficiency but also increases the absorbance wavelength range in the visible region. This is assigned to efficient interaction of carbon nanotubes with the dye adsorbed on TiO2. At the optimized condition, the essential indexes of Jsc, Voc, FF and PCE% of dye/carbon nanotubes-based solar cell are 3.5 ± 0.3 (mA cm−2), 0.65 ± 0.05 V, 0.77 ± 0.07 and 1.75 ± 0.1, respectively.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University College of Science, University of Tehran, P.O. Box 14155-6455, Tehran, Iran

    Taher Alizadeh & Fatemeh Zargar

  2. Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran

    Mohammad Reza Zamanloo

Authors
  1. Taher Alizadeh
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  2. Fatemeh Zargar
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  3. Mohammad Reza Zamanloo
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Correspondence to Taher Alizadeh.

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Alizadeh, T., Zargar, F. & Zamanloo, M.R. Multi-walled carbon nanotube/barbituric acid-based dye/TiO2 nanocomposite as a photoanode in dye-sensitized solar cell: activation of the dye with MWCNTs. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 30, 7981–7991 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-019-01119-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-019-01119-0

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