Back to Search
Start Over
Three-dimensional activated porous carbon with meso/macropore structures derived from fallen pine cone flowers: A low-cost counter electrode material in dye-sensitized solar cells
- Source :
- Journal of Alloys and Compounds. 693:1297-1304
- Publication Year :
- 2017
- Publisher :
- Elsevier BV, 2017.
-
Abstract
- Honeycomb-like activated porous carbon (HPC) powder with meso/macropore structures was successfully prepared via chemical activation and pyrolysis processes under inert gas atmosphere. Herein, the naturally available pine cone flowers with abundant carbon contents were employed as a biomass to synthesize the HPC sample. The structure and morphology of the HPC powder were characterized by various physicochemical techniques. Moreover, the as-prepared HPC sample was uniformly coated on fluorine doped tin oxide glass using a smooth brush and used as a cost-effective counter electrode (CE) in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Under AM1.5G illumination, the fabricated DSSCs with HPC-based CE exhibited a high short-circuit current density (JSC) of 13.51 mA/cm2 and an excellent power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 4.98%, which is attributed to the high specific surface area and hierarchical porous property of the HPC sample. The obtained results were improved compared to the commercially available activated carbon-based CE in DSSCs (JSC = 12.11 mA/cm2 and PCE = 4.45%). This facile fabrication of highly porous activated carbon-based materials from the biomass can be utilized as a high-performance electrode material in DSSCs and energy storage device applications.
- Subjects :
- Auxiliary electrode
Materials science
Mechanical Engineering
Metals and Alloys
chemistry.chemical_element
02 engineering and technology
010402 general chemistry
021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology
Tin oxide
01 natural sciences
0104 chemical sciences
Dye-sensitized solar cell
chemistry
Chemical engineering
Mechanics of Materials
Specific surface area
Materials Chemistry
medicine
Composite material
0210 nano-technology
Inert gas
Pyrolysis
Carbon
Activated carbon
medicine.drug
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 09258388
- Volume :
- 693
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Journal of Alloys and Compounds
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi...........7b5589305a4beb89d74fc4eb01dbdc58