Photovoltaic performance of multi-wall carbon nanotube/PEDOT:PSS composite on the counter electrode of a dye-sensitized solar cell

Abstract

A composite of poly(3,4-ethylendioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) was cyclovoltametrically electropolymerized on a fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate and used as a counter electrode for a dye-sensitized solar cell. The PEDOT:PSS-MWCNT composite film was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The CV diagrams showed that the PEDOT: PSS-MWCNT composite film has better electrocatalytic activity for the I-/I-3(-) redox reaction than the conventional platinized FTO. The best energy conversion efficiency was observed in EIS data with an MWCNT content of 0.002wt %. (C) 2014 The Japan Society of Applied Physics