Low-temperature self-assembled vertically aligned carbon nanofibers as counter-electrode material for dye-sensitized solar cells

Low-temperature AC–DC PECVD is employed for direct growth of vertically aligned carbon nanofibers (VACNFs) on ordinary transparent conductive glass as counter-electrode material for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on utilization of VACNFs grown directly on ordinary FTO-coated glass as a cost-effective catalyst material in DSSCs. According to the FESEM images, the as-grown arrays are well aligned and dense, and offer uniform coverage on the surface of the substrate. In-plane and out-of-plane conductivity measurements reveal their good electrical conductivity, and Raman spectroscopy suggests a high number of electrocatalytic active sites, favoring charge transport at the electrolyte/electrode interface. Hybrid VACNF/Pt electrodes are also fabricated for performance comparison with Pt and VACNF electrodes. X-ray diffraction results verify the crystallization of Pt in hybrid electrodes and further confirm the vertical alignme...

S M Mahpeykar, M K Tabatabaei, H Ghafoori-fard, H Habibiyan and J Koohsorkhi

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