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Carbon Nanotubes for Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells
Author(s) -
Batmunkh Munkhbayar,
Biggs Mark J.,
Shapter Joseph G.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
small
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.785
H-Index - 236
eISSN - 1613-6829
pISSN - 1613-6810
DOI - 10.1002/smll.201403155
Subject(s) - dye sensitized solar cell , carbon nanotube , materials science , nanotechnology , photovoltaic system , renewable energy , electrode , fabrication , energy conversion efficiency , solar cell , carbon fibers , oxide , optoelectronics , chemistry , composite material , composite number , medicine , alternative medicine , engineering , pathology , electrical engineering , electrolyte , ecology , biology , metallurgy
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.