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Highly Interconnected Porous Electrodes for Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells Using Viruses as a Sacrificial Template
Author(s) -
Lee Yong Man,
Kim Young Hun,
Lee Jun Haeng,
Park Jong Hyeok,
Park NamGyu,
Choe WooSeok,
Ko Min Jae,
Yoo Pil J.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.201001774
Subject(s) - materials science , dye sensitized solar cell , nanoparticle , electrolyte , calcination , nanotechnology , porosity , electrode , adsorption , chemical engineering , catalysis , composite material , chemistry , biochemistry , organic chemistry , engineering
A novel means of generating highly interconnected and nano‐channeled photoelectrodes by employing one‐dimensionally shaped M13 viruses as a sacrificial template is proposed for highly efficient dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The electrostatic binding between oppositely charged TiO 2 nanoparticles and M13 viruses provides a uniform complexation and suppresses random aggregation of TiO 2 nanoparticles. After the calcination process, the traces of viruses leave porously interconnected channel structures inside TiO 2 nanoparticles, providing efficient paths for electrolyte contact as well as increased surface sites for dye adsorption. As a result, DSSCs generated using a sacrificial virus template exhibit an enhanced current density ( J SC ) of 12.35 mA cm‐ 2 and a high photoconversion efficiency ( η ) of 6.32%, greater than those of conventional photoelectrodes made of TiO 2 nanoparticles ( J SC of 8.91 mA cm‐ 2 and η of 4.67%). In addition, the stiffness and shape of the M13 virus can be varied, emphasizing the usefulness of the one‐dimensional structural characteristics of M13 viruses for the highly interconnected porous structure of DSSC photoelectrodes.