“Paper Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell” Based on Carbon-Nanotube-Composite Papers

Yuya Ogata,Kodai Iguchi,Takahide Oya

doi:10.3390/en13010057

Yuya Ogata, Kodai Iguchi + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/en13010057

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Journal: Energies	Publication Date: Dec 20, 2019
Citations: 9	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Yokohama National University

Abstract

We propose a paper solar cell based on carbon nanotube (CNT)-composite papers. To fabricate this cell, we use dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) for generating power through the redox reaction of dyes in conjunction with CNT-composite papers, which are composite materials containing CNTs and pulp (raw paper material) that can be fabricated easily by using a method based on the Japanese washi papermaking technique. The demand for CNT applications is expected to increase due to their high conductivity and metallic or semiconducting characteristics. This CNT-composite paper can also have metallic or semiconducting characteristics based on the contained CNTs in the composite paper. We previously fabricated a DSC that generates electricity by using CNT-composite papers stacked in a typical DSC structure. However, the conversion efficiency of this DSC was just 0.188%, which is not practical. To overcome this low power generation issue, we tried improving the DSC structure by applying electrodes to the CNT-composite papers in grid patterns for efficient current collection and applying an optimally mixed dye for efficient electron excitation. Results showed that the conversion efficiency improved to 0.58%. Moreover, we demonstrated that using a mixed dye can improve the conversion efficiency of the paper DSC. We expect these types of CNT-composite papers to be used as material for new DSCs.

Highlights

Renewable energy has been attracting attention as a potential solution to environmental problems.Research on photovoltaic power generation, a renewable form of energy, is being studied, and solar cells that are capable of generating clean energy are attracting attention [1]
We focus on a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC), which is a type of solar cell [2]
The main cause of the low conversion efficiency was that the excited electrons from the dyes did not efficiently flow to the electrodes on the semiconducting carbon nanotube (CNT)-composite paper

Summary

Introduction

Renewable energy has been attracting attention as a potential solution to environmental problems. Research on photovoltaic power generation, a renewable form of energy, is being studied, and solar cells that are capable of generating clean energy are attracting attention [1]. We focus on a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC), which is a type of solar cell [2]. A DSC generates electricity by using dyes that absorb light and emit electrons. Since a DSC can generate electricity without using rare metals and can use various natural dyes [3,4,5,6], it can be fabricated at a low cost and is easy to use [7]. We developed a unique DSC by using carbon nanotube (CNT) paint [8], i.e., a paint-type DSC

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Discussion

Conclusion