The photovoltaic efficiencies on dye sensitized solar cells assembled with nanoporous carbon/TiO2 composites

This study examined the characterization of nanoporous structured carbon/TiO2 composites and its application to dye-sensitized solar cells. TEM of nanoporous structured carbon revealed nanopore sizes of 2.0-3.0 nm with a regular hexagonal form. When nanoporous structured carbon was mixed to TiO2 particles and then was applied to DSSC, the energy conversion efficiency was enhanced considerably compared with that using only nanometer sized pure TiO2: the energy conversion efficiency of the DSSC prepared from nanoporous carbon/TiO2 composites was approximately 3.38%, compared to 2.49% using pure TiO2. We confirmed from FT-IR spectroscopy that the dye molecules were attached perfectly to the surface and more was absorbed on the nanoporous structured carbon/TiO2 composite than on the pure TiO2 particles. In impedance measurements, R-3 which means the Nernstian diffusion within the electrolytes was largely decreased in a cell assembled by nanoporous carbon/TiO2 composites than that of TiO2. (C) 2011 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.