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Noble metals (Ag, Au, Pt) functionalized carbon nanohorns as alternate counter electrodes for dye sensitized solar cells

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Abstract

Noble metals (Ag, Au, Pt) functionalized single wall carbon nanohorns (Ag-SWCNHs, Au-SWCNHs, Pt-SWCNHs) are incorporated as a catalysts of counter electrodes (CEs) and used for dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) applications. Pt-SWCNHs based counter electrodes showed excellent electrocatalytic performance, low charge transfer resistance, low internal resistance and higher current density values than the Ag, Au functionalized SWCNHs and also pure platinum and pristine single wall carbon nanohorns CEs. Compared with pure platinum (η = 5.30 %) and pristine SWCNHs (η = 4.84 %) based test cells, the DSSCs made with Pt-SWCNHs gave (η = 6.07 %) an remarkable improvement of 14.52 and 25.41 % respectively. Test cells of Ag-SWCNHs, Au-SWCNHs contributed efficiency of 5.59 and 5.21 % respectively.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), Department of Science and Technology (DST), India through fast track scheme for young scientist award (# SR/FTP/PS-111/2010). Author MR thankful to Dr. G. Ravi Chandra, ARCI, Dr. K. S. V. Krishna Rao, Yogi Vemana University for SEM, FTIR measurements. Authors thanks to Dr. S. Manorama, IICT, Hyderabad for Raman studies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Yogi Vemana University, Kadapa, AP, 516003, India

    K. Susmitha & M. Raghavender

  2. Inorganic and Physical Chemistry, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad, TS, 500007, India

    M. Naresh Kumar & L. Giribabu

  3. Department of Physics, Osmania University, Hyderabad, TS, 500007, India

    S. Narendra Babu

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  1. K. Susmitha
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Correspondence to M. Raghavender.

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Susmitha, K., Naresh Kumar, M., Giribabu, L. et al. Noble metals (Ag, Au, Pt) functionalized carbon nanohorns as alternate counter electrodes for dye sensitized solar cells. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 27, 5802–5809 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-016-4495-4

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