Abstract
In this work, multi-wall carbon nanotubes coated with polypyrrole (PPy/MWCNT) have been used as counter electrode (CE) materials for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). PPy was deposited onto fluorine-doped tin-oxide-coated glass by electrochemical polymerization of pyrrole. Three surfactants were used in the preparation of the hybrids: cationic cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, anionic sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (DBSNa), and non-ionic polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate (Tween20). The morphologies of the PPy and PPy/MWCNT hybrids were investigated using scanning electron spectroscopy. Chemical composition of the prepared CEs was determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy. The catalytic activity of the PPy and PPy/MWCNT layers was evaluated using cyclic voltammetry, and the photovoltaic properties of DSSCs with PPy and PPy/MWCNT CEs were characterized using I–V measurements. PPy/MWCNT samples that were prepared by electrochemical polymerization showed the best results when the anionic surfactant DBSNa was used during polymerization. The photoelectric conversion efficiency of PPy/MWCNT prepared by electrochemical polymerization was 2.9%, which was 59% of that of Pt CE (4.9%).
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Slovak Grant Agency, projects VEGA 1/0900/16 and VEGA 2/0010/18, bilateral projects SAS-TÜBITAK JRP 2014/2, project KONNECT, Korea V4 PLL and COST project MP 1307 and by the STU Grant scheme for Support of Excellent Teams of Young Researchers.
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Kuliček, J., Gemeiner, P., Omastová, M. et al. Preparation of polypyrrole/multi-walled carbon nanotube hybrids by electropolymerization combined with a coating method for counter electrodes in dye-sensitized solar cells. Chem. Pap. 72, 1651–1667 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11696-018-0476-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11696-018-0476-9