Nanoporous carbon microspheres from carrot juice used as a counter electrode for a dye-sensitized solar cell

By Seksan Lowpa and Samuk Pimanpang and Wasan Maiaugree and Samarn Saekow and Pikaned Uppachai and Santipap Mitravong and Vittaya Amornkitbamrung
Published in Materials Letters NULL 2015

Abstract

A simultaneously process for formation and coating of nanoporous carbon microspheres (CMS) on fluorine doped tin oxide glass using hydrothermal method and carrot juice as natural carbon source was demonstrated. The resulting material was used as a counter electrode (CE) for a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). The solar power conversion efficiency of this \DSSC\ \CE\ was 0.17% under simulated solar illumination at 100 mW/cm2, \AM\ 1.5. After annealing \CMS\ in an argon atmosphere, an annealed-CMS (A-CMS) \DSSC\ efficiency of 7.71% was achieved due to nanoporous formation on CMS. This competes well with a \DSSC\ using platinum as \CE\ having an efficiency of 8.05%.

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