Carbon nanotubes counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells application

Abstract

The influence of the carbon nanotubes counter electrode deposited on the FTO glass substrates on the structure and optoelectrical properties of dye-sensitized solar cells counter electrode (CE) was analysed. Carbon materials have been applied in DSSCs in order to produce low-cost solar cells with reasonable efficiency. Platinum is a preferred material for the counter electrode because of its high conductivity and catalytic activity. However, the costs of manufacturing of the platinum counter electrode limit its use to large-scale applications in solar cells. This paper presents the results of examining the structure and properties of the studied layers, defining optical properties of conductive layers and electrical properties of dye-sensitized solar cells manufactured with the use of carbon nanotubes. Such counter electrodes are promising for the future fabrication of stable, low-cost and effective dye-sensitized solar cells.