A Low Cost Counter Electrode Using Poly(Brilliant Cresyl Blue) and Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes For Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

An inexpensive poly(brilliant cresyl blue) (PBCB) is used as a substitute for platinum to construct the counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The PBCB counter electrode with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) approaches lower charge-transfer resistance and higher electrocatalytic activity for the I-3(-)/I- redox reaction by controlling the PBCB formation on MWCNT in the preparation procedure with more scan segments. The overall energy conversion efficiency of the DSSC is reaching more higher with more scan segments prepared PBCB counter electrode. Particularly, both the PBCB deposition amount and the efficiency are enhanced by MWCNT. This photoelectric properties, simple preparation procedure and inexpensive cost allow MWCNT-PBCB electrode to be a low cost counter electrode for DSSCs.