• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2008.05a
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• pp.428-430
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• 2008

Dye-sensitized solar cell has many internal resistant components such as Pt counter electrode, $TiO_2$/dye/electrolyte, charge diffusion, sheet resistance of TCO. Among these, the resistance about the counter electrode can be reduced by increasing the roughness factor of Pt counter electrode. This causes the increase of fill factor and improvement of efficiency. And the amount of light reflection on the counter electrode also increases as the roughness factor goes up. In our experiment, we suggest a new deposition structure of Pt thin film that is a stepped-type structure. The more step lines are in the counter electrode, the more roughness factor is. As a result, we get the improvement of fill factor and efficiency by controlling the roughness factor of counter electrode.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.140-143
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• 2005

Carbon Nanotube(CNTs) counter electrode is a promising alternative to Platinum counter electrode for dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). In this study, CNT counter electrodes having different visible light transmittance were prepared on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass surface by spray coating method. Microstructural images show that there are CNT-tangled region coated on FTO glass counter electrodes. Using such CNT counter electrodes and screen printed $TiO_2$ electrodes, DSSCs were assembled and its I-V characteristics have been studied and compared. Light energy conversion efficiency of DSSCs increased with decreasing in light transmittance of CNT counter electrode. Efficiency of DSSCs having CNT counter electrode is compatible to that of Pt counter electrode.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.17 no.10
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• pp.1090-1094
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• 2004

Studies on porous oxide electrode, dye and electrolyte for dye-sensitized solar cells have been intensively carried out until now. However, counter electrode have not been much studied so far. Accordingly, it is needed to investigate new counter electrode materials with superior catalyst property and to substitute for Pt electrode. In this case, carbon nano-tubes (CNTs) are one of alternatives for counter electrodes as following merits: low resistivity, excellent electron emission property, large surface area and low cost due to development of mass production technique. Such advantages gave us to select multiwalled CNTs (MWCNT) as counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cell. Also, cyclic voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy were used to investigate electrochemical properties of both CNT electrode and Pt electrode. It was found that sheet resistance of CNT electrode was similar to that of Pt electrode, also, electrochemical properties of CNT electrode was superior to that of Pt electrode on the basis on the measurement of CV and impedance spectrum. It was found that CNT is likely to be a very promising electrode material for dye solar cells.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.14 no.1 s.60
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• pp.44-49
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• 2007

In the fabrication of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), carbon counter electrode has been tested for replacing the platinum counter electrode which has two drawbacks: limited surface area and high material cost. Poor mechanical stability of carbon layer due to weak bonding strength to electrically conductive TCO (transparent conducting oxide) glass substrate is a crucial barrier for practical application of carbon counter electrode. In the present study a carbon counter electrode with high conversion efficiency, comparable to Pt counter electrode, could be fabricated by adaption of a bonding layer between particulate carbon material and TCO substrate.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2007.06a
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• pp.335-338
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• 2007

Cost effectiveness is an important parameter for producing DSSCs as compared to the widely used conventional silicon based solar cells. A fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate coated with a catalytic amount of platinum is used as counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cell. Carbonaceous materials are quite attractive to replace platinum due to their high electronic conductivity, corrosion resistance towards $I_{2}$, good catalytic effect and low cost. In this paper, the unit DSSCs with Pt and CNT as a counter electrode were connected in series-parallel externally, then the current-voltage curves were investigated to find out the connection characteristics of the DSSC with CNT counter electrode. The connection characteristics of the DSSC with CNT counter electrode is superior to that of the DSSC with Pt counter electrode. And a parallel connection of the DSSC with CNT counter electrode has higher efficiency than a series connection of that.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.89-92
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• 2013

Poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) polymers with different electric conductivities were synthesized directly on a FTO substrate via a chemical polymerization method and applied as a platinum (Pt)-free counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The catalytic properties of the PEDOT as a function of electrical conductivity were studied using cyclic voltammograms, J-V measurements and impedance spectroscopy. The PEDOT counter electrode with around 340 S/cm conductivity exhibited the best performance as a counter electrode for tri-iodide reduction. The ability to modulate catalytic activity of PEDOT with changes in conductivity shows one of promising routes for developing new counter electrode of Pt-free DSSCs.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2005.07a
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• pp.615-616
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• 2005

Carbon Nanotubes (CNT) on flexible indium tin oxide (ITO) PET films were prepared for dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). These CNTs were prepared by spray coating method for various amount of light transparency. Also, Pt counter electrode was prepared by electro deposition method. All $TiO_2$ electrodes were deposited on ITO-PET films by spray coating method. Micro structural images show that CNT counter electrodes prepared by spray-coating have more dense structure with increasing spraying time (0 to 60 seconds). DSSC consisting of $TiO_2$ electrode and CNT counter electrode was fabricated with various amount of light absorption. DSSC have higher light energy conversion efficiency with increasing the thickness of CNT counter electrode. CNT counter electrode is at least compatible to that of CNT counter electrode.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 2009.07a
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• pp.1338_1339
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• 2009

Dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) consists of photo electrode, counter electrode and electrolyte. Photo electrode has titanium oxide layer with dye molecule to create electrons. And counter electrode is made of one layer that has catalytic ability for redox system such as the iodide/triiodide couple. Most DSC researchers use platinum as catalyst on counter electrode because platinum has good catalytic ability and conductivity. Platinum is doped on fluorine-doped tin oxide glass with different methods such as sputtering method, electrochemical method and so on. In this paper, we deposit platinum on counter electrode glass with two methods. One is the radio frequency (RF) sputtering method and the other is the chemical method with heating treatment. Finally, we compare the photovoltaic characteristics of DSCs that are assembled using two different counter electrodes.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2011.05a
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• pp.118.2-118.2
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• 2011

In order to increase the energy conversion efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), we employed a counter electrode that was platinum coated using a doctor blade technique on synthesized ZnO nanostructures on fluorinedoped tin oxide (FTO). The ZnO nanostructures possessing high electrochemical activity and large surface area of the counter electrode were grown by a chemical bath deposition (CBD) method at various times, 2, 4, and 8 h. The efficiency of DSSC with the Pt-ZnO counter electrode was improved 7.01% (grown for 2 h), 7.63% (grown for 4 h), and 6.13% (grown for 8 h), respectively. Compared with a standard DSSC without ZnO nanostructures, whose efficiency was 6.27%, the energy conversion efficiency increased approximately 22% for the DSSC with the Pt-ZnO (grown for 4 h) electrode. It indicates that the Pt coated on the ZnO nanostructure improves the electrocatalytic activity of the counter electrode.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.262-263
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• 2005

Pt counter electrode based on flexible metal for dye-sensitized solar cells(DSCs) has been investigated. Photovoltaic structures on lightweight substrates have several advantages over the heavy glass-based structures in both terrestrial and space applications. Cyclic voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy were used to investigate electrochemical properties of Pt counter electrode both FTO glass and SUS sheet substrate. The DSCs composed of the counter electrode based on a stainless steel substrate has obtained conversion efficiencies comparable to that based on the conducting glass. The counter electrode based on the stainless steel substrate has the merit of improving the fill factor and conversion efficiency of the DSCs by reducing its internal resistance.