Hierarchical NiO/CMK-3 Photocathode for a <i>p</i>-Type Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell with Improved Photoelectrochemical Performance and Fast Hole Transfer
The sluggish photoelectrochemical performance of <i>p</i>-type dye-sensitized solar cells (<i>p</i>-DSSCs) has hindered its commercial use. In this work, we introduce a novel hierarchical nanocomposite of NiO nanoparticles anchored on highly ordered mesoporous carbons CMK-3 (...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2020-04-01
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| Series: | Molecules |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/25/7/1638 |
| Summary: | The sluggish photoelectrochemical performance of <i>p</i>-type dye-sensitized solar cells (<i>p</i>-DSSCs) has hindered its commercial use. In this work, we introduce a novel hierarchical nanocomposite of NiO nanoparticles anchored on highly ordered mesoporous carbons CMK-3 (NiO/CMK-3). Using CMK-3 as a backbone effectively prevented the self-aggregation of NiO nanoparticles and subsequently increased the total specific surface area of the composite for more dye adsorption. The interconnected conductive networks of CMK-3 also served as a split-flow high-speed channel, which was beneficial for hole spin-flow to accelerate hole transfer. The hierarchical NiO/CMK-3 photocathode improved the photovoltaic conversion efficiency to 1.48% in a cell with a Cobalt(II)/(III) electrolyte and a PMI-6T-TPA dye. |
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| ISSN: | 1420-3049 |