Name: electrospinning of photocatalytic electrodes for dye-sensitized solar cells
Uploaded: 2017-06-28T13:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Electrospinning of Photocatalytic Electrodes for Dye-sensitized Solar Cells at JoVE.com

The authors have no acknowledgements.

1. Precursor Solution Preparation
NOTE: Please consult all relevant material safety data sheets (MSDS) before use. Several of the chemicals used in this procedure are harmful and/or toxic to humans. Nanomaterials may have additional hazards compared to their bulk counterpart. Please use the appropriate safety measures and personal protective equipment.
<ol>
	<li>Place 5 g of titanium(IV) n-butoxide, 1 g of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), 1 mL of glacial acetic acid, and 10 mL of absolute ethanol...

<ol>
	<li>O'Regan, B., Gr&#228;tzel, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+low-cost,+high-efficiency+solar+cell+based+on+dye-sensitized+colloidal+TiO2+films.">A low-cost, high-efficiency solar cell based on dye-sensitized colloidal TiO2 films.</a> Nature. 353 (6346), 737-740 (1991).</li><li>Lee, C. H., Chiu, W. H., Lee, K. M., Hsieh, W. F., Wu, J. 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K., Shankar, K., Paulose, M., Varghese, O. K., Grimes, C. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Enhanced+Photocleavage+of+Water+Using+Titania+Nanotube+Arrays.">Enhanced Photocleavage of Water Using Titania Nanotube Arrays.</a> Nano Letters. 5 (1), 191-195 (2005).</li><li>Feng, X., Shankar, K., Varghese, O. K., Paulose, M., Latempa, T. J., Grimes, C. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Vertically+Aligned+Single+Crystal+TiO2+Nanowire+Arrays+Grown+Directly+on+Transparent+Conducting+Oxide+Coated+Glass:+Synthesis+Details+and+Applications.">Vertically Aligned Single Crystal TiO2 Nanowire Arrays Grown Directly on Transparent Conducting Oxide Coated Glass: Synthesis Details and Applications.</a> Nano Letters. 8 (11), 3781-3786 (2008).</li><li>Roy, P., Berger, S., Schmuki, P. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=TiO2+Nanotubes:+Synthesis+and+Applications.">TiO2 Nanotubes: Synthesis and Applications.</a> Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 50 (13), 2904-2939 (2011).</li><li>Macdonald, T. J., Xu, J., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=NiO+Nanofibers+as+a+Candidate+for+a+Nanophotocathode.">NiO Nanofibers as a Candidate for a Nanophotocathode.</a> Nanomaterials. 4 (2), 256-266 (2014).</li><li>Chuangchote, S., Sagawa, T., Yoshikawa, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Efficient+dye-sensitized+solar+cells+using+electrospun+TiO2+nanofibers+as+a+light+harvesting+layer.">Efficient dye-sensitized solar cells using electrospun TiO2 nanofibers as a light harvesting layer.</a> Appl Phys Lett. 93 (3), 033310 (2008).</li><li>Li, D., Xia, Y. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Electrospinning+of+Nanofibers:+Reinventing+the+Wheel?.">Electrospinning of Nanofibers: Reinventing the Wheel?.</a> Adv Mat. 16 (14), 1151-1170 (2004).</li><li>Li, W. J., Laurencin, C. T., Caterson, E. J., Tuan, R. S., Ko, F. K. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Electrospun+nanofibrous+structure:+A+novel+scaffold+for+tissue+engineering.">Electrospun nanofibrous structure: A novel scaffold for tissue engineering.</a> J Biomed Mat Res. 60 (4), 613-621 (2002).</li><li>Jia, H., Zhu, G., Vugrinovich, B., Kataphinan, W., Reneker, D. H., Wang, P. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Enzyme-Carrying+Polymeric+Nanofibers+Prepared+via+Electrospinning+for+Use+as+Unique+Biocatalysts.">Enzyme-Carrying Polymeric Nanofibers Prepared via Electrospinning for Use as Unique Biocatalysts.</a> Biotechnol Prog. 18 (5), 1027-1032 (2002).</li><li>Mai, L., Xu, L., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Electrospun+Ultralong+Hierarchical+Vanadium+Oxide+Nanowires+with+High+Performance+for+Lithium+Ion+Batteries.">Electrospun Ultralong Hierarchical Vanadium Oxide Nanowires with High Performance for Lithium Ion Batteries.</a> Nano Letters. 10 (11), 4750-4755 (2010).</li><li>Cai, J., Niu, H., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=High-Performance+Supercapacitor+Electrode+Materials+from+Cellulose-Derived+Carbon+Nanofibers.">High-Performance Supercapacitor Electrode Materials from Cellulose-Derived Carbon Nanofibers.</a> ACS Appl Mat Interfaces. 7 (27), 14946-14953 (2015).</li><li>Joshi, P., Zhang, L., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Composite+of+TiO2+nanofibers+and+nanoparticles+for+dye-sensitized+solar+cells+with+significantly+improved+efficiency.">Composite of TiO2 nanofibers and nanoparticles for dye-sensitized solar cells with significantly improved efficiency.</a> Energ Environ Sci. 3 (10), 1507-1510 (2010).</li><li>Macdonald, T. J., Tune, D. D., Dewi, M. R., Gibson, C. T., Shapter, J. G., Nann, T. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+TiO2+Nanofiber-Carbon+Nanotube-Composite+Photoanode+for+Improved+Efficiency+in+Dye-Sensitized+Solar+Cells.">A TiO2 Nanofiber-Carbon Nanotube-Composite Photoanode for Improved Efficiency in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.</a> ChemSusChem. 8 (20), 3396-3400 (2015).</li><li>Teo, W. E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Electrospinning parameters and fiber control. , (2015).</li></ol>

The methods presented in this work describe the fabrication of efficient nanofibrous photoanodes for photocatalytic devices such as DSSCs. Electrospinning is a very versatile technique for the fabrication of nanofibers, but a certain level of skill and knowledge is required to obtain materials with optimal morphologies. One of the most critical aspects to obtaining good nanofibers is the preparation of the precursor solution: there are some key factors, such as the concentration of the carrier polymer and the choice of t...

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are an interesting alternative to silicon-based solar cells1 thanks to their low cost, relatively simple manufacturing process, and ease of large-scale production. Another benefit is their potential to be incorporated into flexible substrates, a distinct advantage over silicon-based solar cells2. A typical DSSC utilizes: (1) a nanoparticulate TiO2 photoanode, sensitized with a dye, as a light-harvesting layer; (2) a Pt-coated FTO, used as a counter electrode; and (3) an electrolyte containing a redox couple, such as I-/I3-, placed between the two electrodes, working as a &#34;hole-conducting medium.&#34;
Although DSSCs have surpassed efficiencies of 15%3, the performance of nanoparticle-based photoanodes is still still hindered by a number of limitations, including slow electron mobility4, poor absorption of low-energy photons5, and charge recombination6. The electron collection efficiency strongly depends upon the rate of electron transport through the TiO2 nanoparticle layer. If the charge diffusion is slow, the probability of recombination with I3- in the electrolyte solution increases, resulting in a loss of efficiency.
It has been shown that replacing nanoparticulate TiO2 with one-dimensional (1D) TiO2 nanoarchitectures can improve charge transport by reducing the scattering of free electrons from the grain boundaries of the interconnected TiO2 nanoparticles7. As 1D nanostructures provide a more direct pathway for charge collection, we can expect that electron transport in nanofibers (NFs) would be significantly faster than in nanoparticles8,9.
Electrospinning is one of the most commonly used methods for the fabrication of fibrous materials with sub-micron diameters10. This technique involves the use of high voltage to induce the ejection of a polymer solution jet through a spinneret. Due to bending instability, this jet is subsequently stretched many times to form continuous nanofibers. In recent years, this technique has been extensively used to fabricate polymeric and inorganic materials, which have been used for numerous and diverse applications, such as tissue engineering11, catalysis12, and as electrode materials for lithium ion batteries13 and supercapacitors14.
The use of electrospun TiO2-NFs as the scattering layer in the photoanode can increase the performance of DSSCs. However, photoanodes with nanofibrous architectures tend to have poor dye absorption due to surface-area limitations. One of the possible solutions to overcome this is to mix NFs and nanoparticles. This has been shown to result in additional scattering layers, improving light absorption and overall efficiency15.
The protocol presented in this video provides a facile method to synthesize ultralong TiO2 nanofibers through a combination of electrospinning and sol-gel techniques, followed by a calcination process. The protocol then illustrates the use of the TiO2-NFs in combination with nanoparticulate TiO2 for the fabrication of a dual-layer photoanode with enhanced light-scattering capability using doctor blading techniques, as well as the subsequent assembly of a DSSC using such a photoanode.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="689">
	<tbody>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">titanium(IV) n-butoxide</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td align="right" style="width:127px;">244112</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Polyvinylpyrrolidone</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td align="right" style="width:127px;">437190</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">glacial acetic acid</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:127px;">A6283</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">Ethanol, absolute</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:127px;">E/0650DF/17</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">20 mL Sample vials</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">(any)</td>
			<td style="width:127px;"></td>
			<td>(or larger volume)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">disposable 21G needle</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">(any)</td>
			<td style="width:127px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">P150 grit sandpaper</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">(any)</td>
			<td style="width:127px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">disposable 10mL syringe</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">(any)</td>
			<td style="width:127px;"></td>
			<td>(or larger volume)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">magnetic stirrer + stirring bar</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">(any)</td>
			<td style="width:127px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">PHD 2000 syringe pump</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">Harvard Apparatus</td>
			<td style="width:127px;">71-2002</td>
			<td>(or any other syringe pump capable of outputting a 1mL/hr flow</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">Aluminium foil</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">(any)</td>
			<td style="width:127px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">Stainless steel collector plate</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">(custom built)</td>
			<td style="width:127px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:247px;">High Voltage Power Source</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">Gamma High Voltage Research, Inc</td>
			<td style="width:127px;">ES30P-10W</td>
			<td>(or any other power supply capable of outputting +15 kV</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">Polycarbonate protective shield</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">(custom built)</td>
			<td style="width:127px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">Ceramic crucible</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">(any)</td>
			<td style="width:127px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">Muffle furnace</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">(any)</td>
			<td style="width:127px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">Titanium dioxide, nanopowder</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td align="right" style="width:127px;">718467</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">50 mL 1-neck round bottom flasks</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">(any)</td>
			<td style="width:127px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">bath sonicator</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">(any)</td>
			<td style="width:127px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">Terpineol</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:127px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">Rotary evaporator</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">(any)</td>
			<td style="width:127px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">FTO glass</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">Solaronix</td>
			<td>TCO30-10/LI</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">Adhesive tape</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">(any)</td>
			<td style="width:127px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">razor blade</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">(any)</td>
			<td style="width:127px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">SEM</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">JEOL</td>
			<td style="width:127px;">6500F</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">XRD</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">PANalytical&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:127px;">X&#39;pert Pro</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">Titanium Tetrachloride</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td align="right" style="width:127px;">89545</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">Ruthenizer&#160; 535-bisTBA</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">Solaronix</td>
			<td style="width:127px;">N719</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">sealing film</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">Dyesol</td>
			<td>Meltonix 1170-25</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">Pt-coated FTO</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">Solaronix</td>
			<td>TCO30-10/LI</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">1-propyl-3-methylimidazolium iodide</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td align="right" style="width:127px;">49637</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">Iodine</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td align="right" style="width:127px;">207772</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">benzimidazole</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td align="right" style="width:127px;">194123</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">3-Methoxypropionitrile</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td align="right" style="width:127px;">65290</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">Digital source meter</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">Keithley</td>
			<td align="right" style="width:127px;">2400</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">Solar Simulator</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">Abet technologies</td>
			<td align="right" style="width:127px;">10500</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

electrospinning of photocatalytic electrodes for dye-sensitized solar cells

This work demonstrates a protocol to fabricate a fiber-based photoanode for dye-sensitized solar cells, consisting of a light-scattering layer made of electrospun titanium dioxide nanofibers (TiO2-NFs) on top of a blocking layer made of commercially available titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2-NPs). This is achieved by first electrospinning a solution of titanium (IV) butoxide, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), and glacial acetic acid in ethanol to obtain composite PVP/TiO2 nanofibers. These are then calcined at 500 &#176;C to remove the PVP and to obtain pure anatase-phase titania nanofibers. This material is characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). The photoanode is prepared by first creating a blocking layer through the deposition of a TiO2-NPs/terpineol slurry on a fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass slide using doctor blading techniques. A subsequent thermal treatment is performed at 500 &#176;C. Then, the light-scattering layer is formed by depositing a TiO2-NFs/terpineol slurry on the same slide, using the same technique, and calcinating again at 500 &#176;C. The performance of the photoanode is tested by fabricating a dye-sensitized solar cell and measuring its efficiency through J-V curves under a range of incident light densities, from 0.25-1 Sun.

The TiO2 nanofibers were characterized using SEM, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and XRD. The nanostructure of the photoanode was characterized using SEM. The performance of the assembled DSSC was tested using a solar simulator and a source measure unit.
The SEM image in Figure 1A shows that the nanofibers synthesized using this protocol have a porous structure and a high aspect ...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Electrospinning of Photocatalytic Electrodes for Dye-sensitized Solar Cells at JoVE.com

Electrospinning of Photocatalytic Electrodes for Dye-sensitized Solar Cells

The overall goal of this project was to use electrospinning to fabricate a photoanode with improved performance for dye-sensitized solar cells.

This work demonstrates a protocol to fabricate a fiber-based photoanode for dye-sensitized solar cells, consisting of a light-scattering layer made of ...

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The photoactive layer of a typical organic thin-film bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) solar cell commonly uses fullerene derivatives as the electron-accepting ...

Monovalent Cation Doping of CH3NH3PbI3 for Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells

Monovalent Cation Doping of CH3NH3PbI3 for Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells

Here, we demonstrate the incorporation of monovalent cation additives into CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite in order to adjust the optical, excitonic, and electrical ...

In Situ Monitoring of the Accelerated Performance Degradation of Solar Cells and Modules: A Case Study for Cu(In,Ga)Se2 Solar Cells

In Situ Monitoring of the Accelerated Performance Degradation of Solar Cells and Modules: A Case Study for CuIn,GaSe2 Solar Cells

The levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of photovoltaic (PV) systems is determined by, among other factors, the PV module reliability. Better prediction ...