Pt Nanoparticles Supported on Polypyrrole Nanospheres as a Catalytic Counter Electrode for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Polypyrrole (PPy) nanospheres (∼80 nm) were synthesized chemically within micelles composed of tetradecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (TTAB) and decyl alcohol. Highly dispersed Pt nanoparticles (∼3.2 nm) supported on PPy nanospheres (PPy–Pt) were fabricated using a modified microwave-assisted polyol...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of physical chemistry. C 2011-11, Vol.115 (44), p.22035-22039
Main Authors: Jeon, Sang Soo, Kim, Chulwoo, Ko, Jaejung, Im, Seung Soon
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
C: Energy Conversion and Storage
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Summary:Polypyrrole (PPy) nanospheres (∼80 nm) were synthesized chemically within micelles composed of tetradecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (TTAB) and decyl alcohol. Highly dispersed Pt nanoparticles (∼3.2 nm) supported on PPy nanospheres (PPy–Pt) were fabricated using a modified microwave-assisted polyol process in the presence of ethylene glycol, a Pt precursor, and PPy nanospheres as supporting materials in an aqueous medium. PPy–Pt was used as a highly efficient catalytic counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The charge-transfer resistance (R ct) (14.9 Ω) of the PPy–Pt counter electrode was lower than that (19.1 Ω) of the conventional Pt counter electrode, indicating higher electrocatalytic activity. The DSSC using a PPy–Pt counter electrode with higher surface area and mesoporosity showed enhanced overall power conversion efficiency (8.6%) compared with that of the conventional Pt-based DSSC (8.1%), under 100 mW·cm–2, AM 1.5 G sunlight illumination.
ISSN:1932-7447
1932-7455
DOI:10.1021/jp206535c