Preparation of TiO2/bamboo-charcoal-powder composite particles and their applications in dye-sensitized solar cells

This study investigates the applicability of an electrode of TiO2/bamboo-charcol-powder composite particles in a dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC). Bamboo charcoal (BC) was prepared from 3 to 4 years old Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) in a mechanical kiln at 500 degrees C for 1 h, and the bamboo charcoal powder (BCP) was then mixed with TiO2 (P-25) particles via the dry mixing method. The dye-covered electrode of TiO2 (P-25)/BCP composite particles was applied in a DSSC, and an I-V measurement system was used to measure the short-circuit photocurrent (I-sc), the open-circuit photovoltage (V-oc), and the power conversion efficiency (eta) of the DSSC. The mass ratio of TiO2 to BCP and the average size of BCP substantially influenced the I-sc and eta of the DSSC. Interestingly, the eta of the DSSC with a TiO2 (P-25)/BCP electrode (5.4%) substantially exceeds that of the conventional DSSC with a TiO2 (P-25) electrode (3.6%), which may be due to the fact that the TiO2 (P-25)/BCP electrode has a better capability of dye absorption. (C) 2015 The Society of Powder Technology Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. and The Society of Powder Technology Japan. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).