The Application of Electrospun Titania Nanofibers in Dye-sensitized Solar Cells
Hana Krysova,
Arnost Zukal,
Jana Trckova-Barakova,
Aravind Kumar Chandiran,
Mohammad Khaja Nazeeruddin,
Michael Grätzel,
Ladislav Kavan
Affiliations
Hana Krysova
J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry, v.v.i., Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Dolejškova 3, CZ-18223 Prague 8, Czech Republic
Arnost Zukal
J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry, v.v.i., Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Dolejškova 3, CZ-18223 Prague 8, Czech Republic
Jana Trckova-Barakova
ELMARCO, s.r.o., V Horkach 76/18, CZ-460 07 Liberec, Czech Republic
Aravind Kumar Chandiran
Laboratory of Photonics and Interfaces, Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
Mohammad Khaja Nazeeruddin
Laboratory of Photonics and Interfaces, Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
Michael Grätzel
Laboratory of Photonics and Interfaces, Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
Ladislav Kavan
J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry, v.v.i., Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Dolejškova 3, CZ-18223 Prague 8, Czech Republic. [email protected]
Titania nanofibers were fabricated using the industrial NanospiderTM technology. The preparative protocol was optimized by screening various precursor materials to get pure anatase nanofibers. Composite films were prepared by mixing a commercial paste of nanocrystalline anatase particles with the electrospun nanofibers, which were shortened by milling. The composite films were sensitized by Ru-bipyridine dye (coded C106) and the solar conversion efficiency was tested in a dye-sensitized solar cell filled with iodide-based electrolyte solution (coded Z960). The solar conversion efficiency of a solar cell with the optimized composite electrode (? = 7.53% at AM 1.5 irradiation) outperforms that of a solar cell with pure nanoparticle film (? = 5.44%). Still larger improvement was found for lower light intensities. At 10% sun illumination, the best composite electrode showed ? = 7.04%, referenced to that of pure nanoparticle film (? = 4.69%). There are non-monotonic relations between the film's surface area, dye sorption capacity and solar performance of nanofiber-containing composite films, but the beneficial effect of the nanofiber morphology for enhancement of the solar efficiency has been demonstrated.
