Carbon microspheres via microwave-assisted synthesis as counter electrodes of dye-sensitized solar cells

Hengchao Sun; Taiqiang Chen; Yong Liu; Xian Hou; Li Zhang; Guang Zhu; Zhuo Sun; Likun Pan

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2015.01.016

Carbon microspheres via microwave-assisted synthesis as counter electrodes of dye-sensitized solar cells

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2015 May 1:445:326-329. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2015.01.016. Epub 2015 Jan 16.

Authors

Hengchao Sun¹, Taiqiang Chen¹, Yong Liu¹, Xian Hou¹, Li Zhang², Guang Zhu³, Zhuo Sun¹, Likun Pan⁴

Affiliations

¹ Engineering Research Center for Nanophotonics & Advanced Instrument, Ministry of Education, Department of Physics, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China.
² Anhui Key Laboratory of Spin Electron and Nanomaterials, Suzhou University, Suzhou 234000, China.
³ Anhui Key Laboratory of Spin Electron and Nanomaterials, Suzhou University, Suzhou 234000, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁴ Engineering Research Center for Nanophotonics & Advanced Instrument, Ministry of Education, Department of Physics, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 25643959
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2015.01.016

Abstract

Carbon microspheres (CSs) were successfully fabricated and used as counter electrodes of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). CSs were obtained through a fast microwave-assisted approach using sucrose as the precursor in a microwave system and subsequent thermal treatment at 600, 800 and 1000°C. A maximum photovoltaic conversion efficiency of 5.5% is achieved for DSSCs based on the CSs counter electrodes, which is comparable to the cell based on conventional Pt counter electrode at one sun (AM 1.5 G, 100 mW cm(-2)). The results suggest the CSs to be a potential candidate for counter electrodes of DSSCs.

Keywords: Carbon microspheres; Counter electrodes; Dye-sensitized solar cells; Microwave-assisted synthesis.