Effect of Platinum Ribbons on Photoelectric Efficiencies of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Abstract

In this study, we fabricate a counter electrode by coating a Pt ribbon onto a fluorine-doped tin oxide glass substrate with a Pt layer. The Pt ribbon gives rise to a protrusive structure of the counter electrode, produced by photolithography, sputtering and lift-off processes. The experimental results reveal that the photoelectric efficiency of the dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) with the Pt ribbon (5.32%) is 21% higher than that of the DSSC without a Pt ribbon (4.38%). This infers that Pt ribbons can increase the photoelectric efficiencies of DSSCs. The DSSC with the Pt ribbon has a large photoelectric efficiency of 5.32%, not only because the protrusive structure has specific channels for directional electron transport, but also because of its large surface area. The method that is proposed herein has the advantages of a low production cost and easy fabrication that can be applied to various electrode structures.