Performance Enhancement of 3-Mercaptopropionic Acid-Capped CdSe Quantum-Dot Sensitized Solar Cells Incorporating Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Abstract

We fabricated a series of linker-assisted quantum-dot-sensitized solar cells based on the ex situ self-assembly of CdSe quantum dots (QDs) onto TiO2 electrode using sulfide/polysulfide (S2-/S-n(2-)) as an electrolyte and Au cathode. Our cell were combined with single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) by two techniques; One was mixing SWNTs with TiO2 electrode and the other was spraying SWNTs onto Au electrode. Absorption spectra were used to confirm the adsorption of QDs onto TiO2 electrode. Cell performance was measured on samples containing and not-containing SWNTs. Samples mixing SWNTs with TiO2 showed higher cell efficiency, on the while sample spraying SWNTs onto Au electrode showed lower efficiency compared with pristine sample (notcontaining SWNTs). Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis suggested that SWNTs can act as either barriers or excellent carrier transfers according their position and mixing method.