Investigation of catalytic activity of glassy carbon with controlled crystallinity for counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells

Glassy carbon (GC) with controlled crystallinity has been used as catalytic material for counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSC), with emphasis on understanding their catalytic activity for the triiodide reduction. The GC with low crystallinity showed high catalytic activity for the triiodide reduction. The enhanced catalytic activity was attributed to increased graphene stacks and active sites in the GC. The active sites in the GC for catalysis were located at the edges of graphene stacks. The conversion efficiency of DSC was more related to the catalytic activity of the GC than the sheet resistance of GC layer. Therefore, GC with low crystallinity as catalytic materials for counter electrode resulted in DSC with high conversion efficiency. 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved