A study of TiO2/carbon black composition as counter electrode materials for dye-sensitized solar cells

High valuable wax from multilayer film packaging wastes using solid catalyst via pyrolysis process

Multilayer film packaging (MLP) waste was decomposed completely at 500 °C. Catalysts were employed to convert residue polymer to waxes via pyrolysis at 500 °C. The activities achieved from using mordenite (Si/Al = 10), H-ZSM-5 (Si/Al = 25), MCM-41, and Al-MCM-41 (Si/Al ratio of 25, 50, and 75) catalysts were studied. The yield and property of the wax were improved with the use of the catalysis with various acidity and porous structure. The low yield of the waxes, when using mordenite and H-ZSM-5 catalysts, was caused by the microporous structure and strong acidic properties of the catalysts resulting in larger amount of gas production. The MCM-41 catalyst modified with various aluminum content raised the wax yield to 60 %. Al-MCM-41(50) produced the largest amount of wax when compared to Al-MCM-41(25), Al-MCM-41(75), and MCM-41. The mild acidity and mesoporous structure of Al-MCM-41(50) significantly enhanced the paraffins structure of the obtained waxes over other structures, while lower Si/Al ratios favored the conversion of paraffins toward olefin structure. The pyrolysis of MLP with Al-MCM-41(50) produced paraffins and olefins with the middle carbon ranging (C11-20) which were similar quality to pharmaceutical grade of petroleum wax. The spent catalysts of Al-MCM-41 series gradually decreased in wax yield and paraffins composition during the sequential MLP pyrolysis; however, the activity of catalysts was recovered after calcination of the spent catalysts. Furthermore, the viscosity of waxes obtained from Al-MCM-41(50) was 2384 Pa.s at 25 °C similar to the viscosity from commercial petroleum jelly base of 2333 Pa.s.

Recent progress on nanostructured carbon-based counter/back electrodes for high-performance dye-sensitized and perovskite solar cells

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and perovskite solar cells (PSCs) favor minimal environmental impact and low processing costs, factors that have prompted intensive research and development. In both cases, rare, expensive, and less stable metals (Pt and Au) are used as counter/back electrodes; this design increases the overall fabrication cost of commercial DSSC and PSC devices. Therefore, significant attempts have been made to identify possible substitutes. Carbon-based materials seem to be a favorable candidate for DSSCs and PSCs due to their excellent catalytic ability, easy scalability, low cost, and long-term stability. However, different carbon materials, including carbon black, graphene, and carbon nanotubes, among others, have distinct properties, which have a significant role in device efficiency. Herein, we summarize the recent advancement of carbon-based materials and review their synthetic approaches, structure-function relationship, surface modification, heteroatoms/metal/metal oxide incorporation, fabrication process of counter/back electrodes, and their effects on photovoltaic efficiency, based on previous studies. Finally, we highlight the advantages, disadvantages, and design criteria of carbon materials and fabrication challenges that inspire researchers to find low cost, efficient and stable counter/back electrodes for DSSCs and PSCs.

Toward Low-Cost and Sustainable Supercapacitor Electrode Processing: Simultaneous Carbon Grafting and Coating of Mixed-Valence Metal Oxides by Fast Annealing

There is a rapid market growth for supercapacitors and batteries based on new materials and production strategies that minimize their cost, end-of-life environmental impact, and waste management. Herein, mixed-valence iron oxide (FeO_x) and manganese oxide (Mn₃O₄) and FeO_x-carbon black (FeO_x-CB) electrodes with excellent pseudocapacitive behavior in 1 M Na₂SO₄ are produced by a one-step thermal annealing. Due to the in situ grafted carbon black, the FeO_x-CB shows a high pseudocapacitance of 408 mF cm⁻² (or 128 F g⁻¹), and Mn₃O₄ after activation shows high pseudocapacitance of 480 mF cm⁻² (192 F g⁻¹). The asymmetric supercapacitor based on FeO_x-CB and activated-Mn₃O₄ shows a capacitance of 260 mF cm⁻² at 100 mHz and a cycling stability of 97.4% over 800 cycles. Furthermore, due to its facile redox reactions, the supercapacitor can be voltammetrically cycled up to a high rate of 2,000 mV s⁻¹ without a significant distortion of the voltammograms. Overall, our data indicate the feasibility of developing high-performance supercapacitors based on mixed-valence iron and manganese oxide electrodes in a single step.

Biomimetic materials assembled on a photovoltaic cell as a novel biosensing approach to cancer biomarker detection

This work describes for the first time the integration of Dye Sensitized Solar Cell (DSSC) technology in biosensors and biomimetic materials, opening doors towards a new dimension of autonomous screening devices that may be used in point-of-care, with zero-power requirements. DSSCs are fabricated with a counter electrode (CE) of polypyrrole (PPy) that was made responsive to a specific protein by biomimetic material (BM) technology. Carcinogenic embryonic antigen (CEA) was selected as target protein. The resulting BM-PPy film acted as biomimetic artificial antibody for CEA. Rebinding of CEA into this film changed its intrinsic electrical properties and the subsequent electrical output of the DSSC using it as CE. The quantity of CEA in solution was deduced by I-V and electrochemical impedance spesctroscopy (EIS). Linear responses to CEA were observed down to 0.25 pg/mL, with 0.13 pg/mL detection limit. Control films of PPy (prepared without CEA in the electropolymerization step) confirmed the ability of the BM material to recognize the target protein. Accurate results were obtained in the analysis of urine samples. Further developments into this ground-breaking self-powered biosensor will display a huge impact in point-to-care medical applications, which may be extended to other fields of knowledge.

In Situ Growth of Highly Adhesive Surface Layer on Titanium Foil as Durable Counter Electrodes for Efficient Dye-sensitized Solar Cells

Counter electrodes (CEs) of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) are usually fabricated by depositing catalytic materials on substrates. The poor adhesion of the catalytic material to the substrate often results in the exfoliation of catalytic materials, and then the deterioration of cell performance or even the failure of DSCs. In this study, a highly adhesive surface layer is in situ grown on the titanium foil via a facile process and applied as CEs for DSCs. The DSCs applying such CEs demonstrate decent power conversion efficiencies, 6.26% and 4.37% for rigid and flexible devices, respectively. The adhesion of the surface layer to the metal substrate is so strong that the photovoltaic performance of the devices is well retained even after the CEs are bended for 20 cycles and torn twice with adhesive tape. The results reported here indicate that the in situ growth of highly adhesive surface layers on metal substrate is a promising way to prepare durable CEs for efficient DSCs.

Electrocatalytic activity of NiO on silicon nanowires with a carbon shell and its application in dye-sensitized solar cell counter electrodes

To improve the catalytic activity of a material, it is critical to maximize the effective surface area by directly contacting the electrolyte. Nanowires are a promising building block for catalysts in electrochemical applications because of their large surface area. Nickel oxide (NiO) decoration was achieved by drop-casting a nickel-dissolved solution onto vertically aligned silicon nanowire arrays with a carbon shell (SiNW/C). Based on the hybridization of the NiO and silicon nanowire arrays with a carbon shell this study aimed to achieve a synergic effect for the catalytic activity performance. This study demonstrated that the resulting nanomaterial exhibits excellent electrocatalytic activity and performs well as a counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The compositions of the materials were examined using X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and energy dispersive spectroscopy. Their micro- and nano-structures were investigated using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The electrochemical activity toward I(-)/I3(-) was examined using cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The obtained peak power conversion efficiency of the DSSC based on the NiO@SiNW/C counter electrode was 9.49%, which was greater than that of the DSSC based on the Pt counter electrode.

Pt-Free Counter Electrodes with Carbon Black and 3D Network Epoxy Polymer Composites

Carbon black (CB) and a 3D network epoxy polymer composite, representing dual functions for conductive corrosion protective layer (CCPL) and catalytic layer (CL) by the control of CB weight ratio against polymer is developed. Our strategy provides a proper approach which applies high catalytic ability and chemical stability of CB in corrosive triiodide/iodide (I₃⁻/I⁻) redox electrolyte system. The CB and a 3D network epoxy polymer composite coated on the stainless steel (SS) electrode to alternate counter electrodes in dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). A two-step spray pyrolysis process is used to apply a solution containing epoxy monomers and a polyfunctional amine hardener with 6 wt% CB to a SS substrate, which forms a CCPL. Subsequently, an 86 wt% CB is applied to form a CL. The excellent catalytic properties and corrosion protective properties of the CB and 3D network epoxy polymer composites produce efficient counter electrodes that can replace fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) with CCPL/SS and Pt/FTO with CL/CCPL/SS in DSSCs. This approach provides a promising approach to the development of efficient, stable, and cheap solar cells, paving the way for large-scale commercialization.

Carbonaceous materials and their advances as a counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells: challenges and prospects

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) serve as low-costing alternatives to silicon solar cells because of their low material and fabrication costs. Usually, they utilize Pt as the counter electrode (CE) to catalyze the iodine redox couple and to complete the electric circuit. Given that Pt is a rare and expensive metal, various carbon materials have been intensively investigated because of their low costs, high surface areas, excellent electrochemical stabilities, reasonable electrochemical activities, and high corrosion resistances. In this feature article, we provide an overview of recent studies on the electrochemical properties and photovoltaic performances of carbon-based CEs (e.g., activated carbon, nanosized carbon, carbon black, graphene, graphite, carbon nanotubes, and composite carbon). We focus on scientific challenges associated with each material and highlight recent advances achieved in overcoming these obstacles. Finally, we discuss possible future directions for this field of research aimed at obtaining highly efficient DSSCs.

Inorganic dye-sensitized solar cell employing In-enriched Cu–In–S ternary colloids prepared in water media

Inorganic dye-sensitized solar cells employing In-enriched Cu–In–S ternary colloids prepared in water exhibit high PCE at 3.54%.

Ab initio design of nanostructures for solar energy conversion: a case study on silicon nitride nanowire

Design of novel materials for efficient solar energy conversion is critical to the development of green energy technology. In this work, we present a first-principles study on the design of nanostructures for solar energy harvesting on the basis of the density functional theory. We show that the indirect band structure of bulk silicon nitride is transferred to direct bandgap in nanowire. We find that intermediate bands can be created by doping, leading to enhancement of sunlight absorption. We further show that codoping not only reduces the bandgap and introduces intermediate bands but also enhances the solubility of dopants in silicon nitride nanowires due to reduced formation energy of substitution. Importantly, the codoped nanowire is ferromagnetic, leading to the improvement of carrier mobility. The silicon nitride nanowires with direct bandgap, intermediate bands, and ferromagnetism may be applicable to solar energy harvesting.

A novel hierarchical Pt- and FTO-free counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cell

A novel hierarchical Pt- and FTO-free counter electrode (CE) for the dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) was prepared by spin coating the mixture of TiO2 nanoparticles and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxy-thiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) solution onto the glass substrate. Compared with traditional Pt/FTO CE, the cost of the new CE is dramatically reduced by the application of bilayer TiO2-PEDOT:PSS/PEDOT:PSS film and the glass substrate. The sheet resistance of this composite film is 35 Ω sq(-1) and is low enough to be used as an electrode. The surface morphologies of TiO2-PEDOT:PSS layer and modified PEDOT:PSS layer were characterized by scanning electron microscope, which shows that the former had larger surface areas than the latter. Electrochemical impedance spectra and Tafel polarization curves prove that the catalytic activity of TiO2-PEDOT:PSS/PEDOT:PSS/glass CE is higher than that of PEDOT:PSS/FTO CE and is similar to Pt/FTO CE's. This new fabricated device with TiO2-PEDOT:PSS/PEDOT:PSS/glass CE achieves a high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 4.67%, reaching 91.39% of DSSC with Pt/FTO CE (5.11%).

Wurtzite copper-zinc-tin sulfide as a superior counter electrode material for dye-sensitized solar cells

Wurtzite and kesterite Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) nanocrystals were employed as counter electrode (CE) materials for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Compared to kesterite CZTS, the wurtzite CZTS exhibited higher electrocatalytic activity for catalyzing reduction of iodide electrolyte and better conductivity. Accordingly, the DSSC with wurtzite CZTS CE generated higher power conversion efficiency (6.89%) than that of Pt (6.23%) and kesterite CZTS (4.89%) CEs.