Printable fabrication of Pt-and-ITO free counter electrodes for completely flexible quasi-solid dye-sensitized solar cells

Huawei Zhou; Yantao Shi; Da Qin; Jiang An; Lingling Chu; Chaolei Wang; Yudi Wang; Wei Guo; Liang Wang; Tingli Ma

doi:10.1039/C3TA00960B

Printable fabrication of Pt-and-ITO free counter electrodes for completely flexible quasi-solid dye-sensitized solar cells

Huawei Zhou,^a Yantao Shi,*^a Da Qin,^a Jiang An,^a Lingling Chu,^a Chaolei Wang,^a Yudi Wang,^a Wei Guo,^a Liang Wang^a and Tingli Ma*^a

Author affiliations

* Corresponding authors

^a State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, China
E-mail: tinglima@dlut.edu.cn, shiyantao@dlut.edu.cn
Fax: +86-411-84986230
Tel: +86-411-84986237

Abstract

Low-cost bendable photoanodes and counter electrodes (CEs), as well as gel electrolytes, are potentially desired for the mass production of completely flexible dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). In this work, via printing at low temperature, we fabricated titanium carbide (TiC)-functionalized conductive-carbon (CC) on flexible polyimide (PI) films to replace traditional and expensive Pt/ITO/PEN CEs. Morphology characterization revealed this composite CE was highly porous and homogeneous. Electrochemical investigations demonstrated that this Pt-and-ITO free flexible CE exhibited a high electro-catalytic activity. Finally, the conversion efficiencies of the all flexible quasi-solid DSSCs using this low-cost TiC-CC/PI CE achieved 86% of that based on a Pt/CC/PI CE. Thus, the facile fabrication process of this novel CE, along with its notable performance, are quite promising for the future roll-to-roll production of completely flexible DSSCs.

Journal of Materials Chemistry A

Printable fabrication of Pt-and-ITO free counter electrodes for completely flexible quasi-solid dye-sensitized solar cells

Abstract

Article information

Download Citation

Permissions

Printable fabrication of Pt-and-ITO free counter electrodes for completely flexible quasi-solid dye-sensitized solar cells

Social activity

Search articles by author

Spotlight

Advertisements