The performance of dye-sensitized solar cells using different carbon materials as counter electrodes

Counter electrode films for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) were prepared by screen printing using graphite, activated carbon, carbon black and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as raw materials. The effects of pore structure, BET surface area and the sheet resistance of the as-prepared counter electrode films on the performance of DSSCs were investigated. Results show that the conductivity of the raw materials is not the crucial factor for the performance of the DSSCs. The performance of the DSSC is not directly improved by increasing the BET surface area of the raw materials. It is also related to the pore size distribution of carbon materials, the particle shape and their alignment. The DSSCs assembled using CNT film counter electrodes with a BET surface area of 31.2 m2 g−1 show the largest photoelectric conversion efficiency of 5.87%.