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Investigation into Photoconductivity in Single CNF/TiO2-Dye Core–Shell Nanowire Devices

Journal Article · · Nanoscale Research Letters
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [4];  [2]
  1. Hebei Normal Univ., Shijaizhuang (China). Hebei Advanced Thin Film Lab. Dept. of Physics; OSTI
  2. Univ. of Kansas, Lawrence, KS (United States). Dept. of Physics and Astronomy
  3. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  4. Kansas State Univ., Manhattan, KS (United States). Dept. of Chemsitry
A vertically aligned carbon nanofiber array coated with anatase TiO2 (CNF/TiO2) is an attractive possible replacement for the sintered TiO2 nanoparticle network in the original dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) design due to the potential for improved charge transport and reduced charge recombination. Although the reported efficiency of 1.1% in these modified DSSC’s is encouraging, the limiting factors must be identified before a higher efficiency can be obtained. This work employs a single nanowire approach to investigate the charge transport in individual CNF/TiO2 core–shell nanowires with adsorbed N719 dye molecules in dark and under illumination. The results shed light on the role of charge traps and dye adsorption on the (photo) conductivity of nanocrystalline TiO2 CNF’s as related to dye-sensitized solar cell performance.
Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
Grant/Contract Number:
89233218CNA000001
OSTI ID:
1815822
Journal Information:
Nanoscale Research Letters, Journal Name: Nanoscale Research Letters Journal Issue: 9 Vol. 5; ISSN 1931-7573
Publisher:
SpringerCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Electrospinning: designed architectures for energy conversion and storage devices journal January 2011
Enhanced photoconductivity in CdS/betanin composite nanostructures journal January 2018