Glucose aided preparation of tungsten sulfide/multi-wall carbon nanotube hybrid and use as counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells

Jihuai Wu; Gentian Yue; Yaoming Xiao; Miaoliang Huang; Jianming Lin; Leqing Fan; Zhang Lan; Jeng-Yu Lin

doi:10.1021/am301397e

Glucose aided preparation of tungsten sulfide/multi-wall carbon nanotube hybrid and use as counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2012 Dec;4(12):6530-6. doi: 10.1021/am301397e. Epub 2012 Dec 10.

Authors

Jihuai Wu¹, Gentian Yue, Yaoming Xiao, Miaoliang Huang, Jianming Lin, Leqing Fan, Zhang Lan, Jeng-Yu Lin

Affiliation

¹ Institute of Material Physical Chemistry, Huaqiao University, Quanzhou 362021, China. jhwu@hqu.edu.cn

PMID: 23182023
DOI: 10.1021/am301397e

Abstract

The tungsten sulfide/multi-wall carbon nanotube (WS(2)/MWCNT) hybrid was prepared in the presence of glucose by the hydrothermal route. The hybrid materials were used as counter electrode in the dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). The results of cyclic voltammetry measurement and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy indicated that the glucose aided prepared (G-A) WS(2)/MWCNT electrode had low charge-transfer resistance (R(ct)) and high electrocatalytic activity for triiodide reduction. The excellent electrochemical properties for (G-A) WS(2)/MWCNT electrode is due to the synergistic effects of WS(2) and MWCNTs, as well as amorphous carbon introduced by glucose. The DSSC based on the G-A WS(2)/MWCNT counter electrode achieved a high power conversion efficiency of 7.36%, which is comparable with the performance of the DSSC using Pt counter electrode (7.54%).