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Title: Enhanced electrocatalytic activity of the Au-electrodeposited Pt nanoparticles-coated conducting oxide for the quantum dot-sensitized solar cells

Abstract

Au was electrodeposited potentiostatically at 0.3 V for 5 min on nanoporous Pt nanoparticle-coated F-doped SnO{sub 2} (FTO/Pt) substrates. For comparison, Au-electrodeposited FTO (FTO/Au) and Au-uncoated FTO/Pt were prepared. FTO/Au showed large-sized Au clusters dispersed sparsely over FTO, which resulted in lower electrocatalytic activity than FTO/Pt. In contrast, FTO/Pt exhibited poor stability unlike FTO/Au due to poisoning by the adsorption of sulfur species. The Au-electrodeposited FTO/Pt (FTO/Pt/Au) consisted of small Au clusters deposited over the entire area of Pt due to the effective Au nucleation provided by nanoporous metallic Pt. FTO/Pt/Au exhibited enhanced electrocatalytic activity and excellent stability because the small Au particles well-dispersed over the nanoporous metallic Pt network provided numerous electrochemical reaction sites, and the Pt surface was not exposed to the electrolyte. When FTO/Pt/Au was used as the counter electrode (CE) of a quantum dot-sensitized solar cell, the significantly enhanced electrocatalytic activity of the FTO/Pt/Au CE facilitated the reduction reaction of S{sub n}{sup 2− }+ 2e{sup −} (CE) → S{sub n−1}{sup 2−} + S{sup 2−} at the CE/electrolyte interface, resulting in a significantly hindered recombination reaction, S{sub n}{sup 2− }+ 2e{sup −} (TiO{sub 2} in the photoanode) → S{sub n-1}{sup 2−} + S{sup 2−}, and significantly improved overall energy conversion efficiency.

Authors:
; ;  [1];  [2]; ;  [3];  [4]
  1. School of Chemical Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 712-749 (Korea, Republic of)
  2. Department of Chemistry Education, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 500-757 (Korea, Republic of)
  3. School of Semiconductor and Chemical Engineering, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju 561-756 (Korea, Republic of)
  4. Department of Nano-Optical Engineering, Korea Polytechnic University, Siheung 429-793 (Korea, Republic of)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22310974
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Applied Physics Letters
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 105; Journal Issue: 8; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 0003-6951
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY; ADSORPTION; DOPED MATERIALS; ELECTROCHEMISTRY; ELECTRODEPOSITION; ENERGY CONVERSION; FLUORINE ADDITIONS; GOLD; INTERFACES; NANOPARTICLES; NUCLEATION; PLATINUM; QUANTUM DOTS; RECOMBINATION; SOLAR CELLS; SUBSTRATES; SURFACES; TIN OXIDES; TITANIUM OXIDES

Citation Formats

Yoon, Yeung-Pil, Kim, Jae-Hong, Ahn, Kwang-Soon, Kang, Soon-Hyung, Kim, Hyunsoo, Choi, Chel-Jong, and Kim, Kyong-Kook. Enhanced electrocatalytic activity of the Au-electrodeposited Pt nanoparticles-coated conducting oxide for the quantum dot-sensitized solar cells. United States: N. p., 2014. Web. doi:10.1063/1.4893669.
Yoon, Yeung-Pil, Kim, Jae-Hong, Ahn, Kwang-Soon, Kang, Soon-Hyung, Kim, Hyunsoo, Choi, Chel-Jong, & Kim, Kyong-Kook. Enhanced electrocatalytic activity of the Au-electrodeposited Pt nanoparticles-coated conducting oxide for the quantum dot-sensitized solar cells. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4893669
Yoon, Yeung-Pil, Kim, Jae-Hong, Ahn, Kwang-Soon, Kang, Soon-Hyung, Kim, Hyunsoo, Choi, Chel-Jong, and Kim, Kyong-Kook. 2014. "Enhanced electrocatalytic activity of the Au-electrodeposited Pt nanoparticles-coated conducting oxide for the quantum dot-sensitized solar cells". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4893669.
@article{osti_22310974,
title = {Enhanced electrocatalytic activity of the Au-electrodeposited Pt nanoparticles-coated conducting oxide for the quantum dot-sensitized solar cells},
author = {Yoon, Yeung-Pil and Kim, Jae-Hong and Ahn, Kwang-Soon and Kang, Soon-Hyung and Kim, Hyunsoo and Choi, Chel-Jong and Kim, Kyong-Kook},
abstractNote = {Au was electrodeposited potentiostatically at 0.3 V for 5 min on nanoporous Pt nanoparticle-coated F-doped SnO{sub 2} (FTO/Pt) substrates. For comparison, Au-electrodeposited FTO (FTO/Au) and Au-uncoated FTO/Pt were prepared. FTO/Au showed large-sized Au clusters dispersed sparsely over FTO, which resulted in lower electrocatalytic activity than FTO/Pt. In contrast, FTO/Pt exhibited poor stability unlike FTO/Au due to poisoning by the adsorption of sulfur species. The Au-electrodeposited FTO/Pt (FTO/Pt/Au) consisted of small Au clusters deposited over the entire area of Pt due to the effective Au nucleation provided by nanoporous metallic Pt. FTO/Pt/Au exhibited enhanced electrocatalytic activity and excellent stability because the small Au particles well-dispersed over the nanoporous metallic Pt network provided numerous electrochemical reaction sites, and the Pt surface was not exposed to the electrolyte. When FTO/Pt/Au was used as the counter electrode (CE) of a quantum dot-sensitized solar cell, the significantly enhanced electrocatalytic activity of the FTO/Pt/Au CE facilitated the reduction reaction of S{sub n}{sup 2− }+ 2e{sup −} (CE) → S{sub n−1}{sup 2−} + S{sup 2−} at the CE/electrolyte interface, resulting in a significantly hindered recombination reaction, S{sub n}{sup 2− }+ 2e{sup −} (TiO{sub 2} in the photoanode) → S{sub n-1}{sup 2−} + S{sup 2−}, and significantly improved overall energy conversion efficiency.},
doi = {10.1063/1.4893669},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22310974}, journal = {Applied Physics Letters},
issn = {0003-6951},
number = 8,
volume = 105,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Aug 25 00:00:00 EDT 2014},
month = {Mon Aug 25 00:00:00 EDT 2014}
}