Carbon Nanotubes for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Munkhbayar Batmunkh, Mark J. Biggs, Joseph G. Shapter*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

121 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

As one type of emerging photovoltaic cell, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are an attractive potential source of renewable energy due to their eco-friendliness, ease of fabrication, and cost effectiveness. However, in DSSCs, the rarity and high cost of some electrode materials (transparent conducting oxide and platinum) and the inefficient performance caused by slow electron transport, poor light-harvesting efficiency, and significant charge recombination are critical issues. Recent research has shown that carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are promising candidates to overcome these issues due to their unique electrical, optical, chemical, physical, as well as catalytic properties. This article provides a comprehensive review of the research that has focused on the application of CNTs and their hybrids in transparent conducting electrodes (TCEs), in semiconducting layers, and in counter electrodes of DSSCs. At the end of this review, some important research directions for the future use of CNTs in DSSCs are also provided.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2963-2989
Number of pages27
JournalSmall
Volume11
Issue number25
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jul 2015

Keywords

  • carbon nanotubes
  • DSSCs
  • dye-sensitized solar cells
  • photovoltaic systems
  • transparent conducting electrodes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biotechnology
  • Biomaterials
  • General Chemistry
  • General Materials Science

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Carbon Nanotubes for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this