Highly Catalytic Carbon Nanotube/Pt Nanohybrid-Based Transparent Counter Electrode for Efficient Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Low-cost transparent counter electrodes (CEs) for efficient dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are prepared by using nanohybrids of carbon nanotube (CNT)-supported platinum nanoparticles as highly active catalysts. The nanohybrids, synthesized by an ionic-liquid-assisted sonochemical method, are directly deposited on either rigid glass or flexible plastic substrates by a facile electrospray method for operation as CEs. Their electrochemical performances are examined by cyclic voltammetry, current densityvoltage characteristics, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements. The CNT/Pt hybrid films exhibit high electrocatalytic activity for I-/I3- with a weak dependence on film thickness. A transparent CNT/Pt hybrid CE film about 100 nm thick with a transparency of about 70?% (at 550 nm) can result in a high power conversion efficiency (?) of over 8.5?%, which is comparable to that of pyrolysis platinum-based DSSCs, but lower cost. Furthermore, DSSC based on flexible CNT/Pt hybrid CE using indium-doped tin oxide-coated polyethylene terephthalate as the substrate also exhibits ?=8.43?% with Jsc=16.85 mA?cm-2, Voc=780 mV, and FF=0.64, and this shows great potential in developing highly efficient flexible DSSCs.