• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.419-425
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• 2017

In this study, an efficient dye-sensitive solar cells (DSSC) was developed after post-treatment of ZnO on $TiO_2$ photoelectrode. The $TiO_2$ electrode with ZnO post treatment was prepared with Titanium isoporopoxide in Zinc Nitrate Hexahydrate aqueous solution by incineration for 30 min at $450^{\circ}C$. The ZnO-post treated $TiO_2$ electrode showed strong dispersion force between particles in relation to the control $TiO_2$, referring high specific surface area and dye-adsorption rate. Proper addition of ZnO enhanced electron mobility and reduced internal resistance and electron recombination. Light conversion efficiency of DSSCs containing the ZnO-posttreated $TiO_2$ electrode increased 35.4% when compared to the DSSCs using $TiO_2$ electrode. It is similar to the DSSCs with $TiCl_4$ post treatment $TiO_2$ electrode. Increasing of light conversion efficiency was due to high specific surface area and dispersion force, and low dye-adsorption rate and electron recombination. Taken together, ZnO may be used as posttreatment of photoelectrode and replaced $TiCl_4$ that has high toxicity and causticity.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.33 no.10
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• pp.3355-3360
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• 2012

To promote the photoelectric conversion efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), graphene is introduced as a working electrode with $TiO_2$ in this study, because it has great transparency and very good conductivity. XRD patterns indicate the presence of graphene and $TiO_2$ particles in graphene-linked $TiO_2$ samples. Moreover, TEM pictures also show that the nano-sized $TiO_2$ particles are highly dispersed and well-linked onto the thin layered graphene. On the basis of the UV-visible spectra, the band gaps of $TiO_2$, 1.0 wt % graphene-$TiO_2$, 5.0 wt % graphene-$TiO_2$, and 10.0 wt % graphene-$TiO_2$ are 3.16, 2.94, 2.25, and 2.11 eV, respectively. Compared to pure $TiO_2$, the energy conversion efficiency was enhanced considerably by the application of graphene-linked $TiO_2$ anode films in the DSSCs to approximately 6.05% for 0.1 wt % graphene-$TiO_2$ with N719 dye (10.0 mm film thickness and $5.0mm{\times}5.0mm$ cell area) under $100mW/cm^2$ of simulated sunlight. The quantum efficiency was the highest when 1.0 wt % of graphene was used. In impedance curves, the resistance was smallest for 1.0 wt % graphene-$TiO_2$-DSSC.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.48 no.5
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• pp.649-653
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• 2010

In this study, the variation of characteristics of P-25 photocatalyst with calcination temperature(Pure: non-thermally treated, 450, 650, $850^{\circ}C$) was studied. The photocatalysts were used as working materials for dye-sensitized solar cells: DSSCs) later on and their photovoltaic characterization was carried out. The photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue using the P-25 photocatalyst with different calcination temperature was almost same expect for $850^{\circ}C$. The solar energy conversion efficiency ($\eta$) of DSSCs prepared by the nanoparticles (photocatalyst) reached 6.9% (for pure), 6.5%(for 450), 5.8%(for 650) and 5.6%(850).

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.06a
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• pp.24-27
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• 2009

Solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have been constructed employing supramolecular electrolytes with multiple hydrogen bonding. A supramolecule was facilely synthesized by one-pot reaction between the amines of methyl isocytosine (MIC) and the epoxy groups of poly(ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether) (PEGDGE) to produce quadruple hydrogen bonding units. Hydrogen bonding interactions and dissolution behavior of salt in supramolecular electrolytes are investigated. The ionic conductivity of the supramolecular electrolytes with ionic liquid, i.e. 1-methyl-3-propylimidazolium iodide (MPII) reaches $8.5{\times}10^{-5}$ S/cm at room temperature, which is higher than that with metal salt (KI). A worm-like morphology is observed in the FE-SEM micrographs of $TiO_2$ nanoporous layer, due to the connection of $TiO_2$ nanoparticles resulting from adequate coating by electrolytes. DSSCs employing the supramolecular electrolytes with MPII and KI exhibit an energy conversion efficiency of 2.5 % and 0.5 %, respectively, at 100 $mW/cm^2$, indicating the importance of the cation of salt. Solar cell performances were further improved up to 3.7 % upon introduction of poly(ethylene glycol dimethyl ether) (PEGDME) with 500 g/mol.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2007.11a
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• pp.306-308
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• 2007

Poly(ethylene glycol) dimethyl ether (PEGDME)/fumed silica/ 1-methyl -3-propylimidazolium iodide (MPII)/$I_2$ mixtures were used as polymer electrolytes in solid state dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The contents of MPII were changed and the concentration of $I_2$ was fixed at 0.1 mole% with respect to the MPII. The maximum ionic conductivity was obtained at [EG]:[MPII]:[$I_2$]=10:1.5:0.15. It was supposed that the maximum of ionic conductivities would match with that of cell efficiencies, if the ionic conductivity is a rate determining step in the sol id state DSSCs. However, the maximum composition did not show the maximum solar cell performance, indicating the mismatch between ionic conductivity and cell performance. This suggests that the ionic conductivity may not be the rate controlling step in determining the cell efficiency in these experimental conditions, whereas other parameters such as the electron recombination might play an important role. Thus, we tried to modify the surface of the $TiO_2$ particles by coating a thin metal oxide such as $Al_2O_3$ or $Nb_2O_5$ layer to prevent electron recombination. As a result, the maximum of the cell efficiency was shifted to that of the ionic conductivity. The peak shifts were also attempted to be explained by the diffusion coefficient and the lifetime of electrons in the $TiO_2$ layer.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.9
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• pp.2765-2768
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• 2013

The effect of $TiO_2$ nanorods (TNR) and nanoparticles (TNP) composite photoelectrodes and the role of TNR to enhance the energy conversion efficiency in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) was investigated. The 5% TNR content into the TNP photoelectrode significantly increased the short-circuit current density ($J_{sc}$) and the open-circuit potential ($V_{oc}$) with the overall energy conversion efficiency enhancement of 13.6% compared to the pure TNP photoelectrode. From the photochemical and impedemetric analysis, the increased $J_{sc}$ and $V_{oc}$ for the 5% TNR/TNP composite photoelectrode was attributed to the scattering effect of TNR, reduced electron diffusion path and the suppression of charge recombination between the composite photoelectrode and electrolyte or dye.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.1204-1208
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• 2012

A new photoelectrode composed of $Sb_6O_{13}$ nanoparticles with the size of 20-30 nm has been prepared via thermolysis of a colloidal antimony pentoxide tetrahydrate ($Sb_2O_5{\cdot}4H_2O$) suspension. The $Sb_6O_{13}$ electrode showed good semiconducting properties applicable to dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs); the energy band gap was estimated to be $3.05{\pm}0.5$ eV and the position of conduction band edge was close to those of $TiO_2$ and ZnO. The DSSC assembled with the $Sb_6O_{13}$ photoelectrode and a conventional ruthenium-dye (N719) exhibited the overall photo-current conversion efficiency of 0.74% ($V_{oc}$ = 0.76 V, $J_{sc}=1.99\;mAcm{-2}$, fill factor = 0.49) under AM 1.5, $100\;mWcm^{-2}$ illumination.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.33 no.9
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• pp.3043-3047
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• 2012

To investigate the scattering layer effect of a $TiO_2$ multilayer in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), we designed a new DSSC system, assembled with a CdS-$TiO_2$ scattering layer electrode. A high-magnification SEM image exhibited hollyhock-like particles with a width of 1.5-2.0 ${\mu}m$ that were aggregated into 10-nm clumps in a hexagonal petal shape. The efficiency was higher in the DSSC assembled with a CdS-$TiO_2$ scattering layer than in the DSSC assembled with $TiO_2$-only layers, due to the decreased resistance in electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The short-circuit current density ($J_{sc}$) was increased by approximately 7.26% and the open-circuit voltage ($V_{oc}$) by 2.44% over the 1.0 wt % CdS-$TiO_2$ composite scattering layer and the incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE) in the maximum peak was also enhanced by about 5.0%, compared to the DSSC assembled without the CdS-$TiO_2$scattering layer.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2011.05a
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• pp.118.2-118.2
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• 2011

In order to increase the energy conversion efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), we employed a counter electrode that was platinum coated using a doctor blade technique on synthesized ZnO nanostructures on fluorinedoped tin oxide (FTO). The ZnO nanostructures possessing high electrochemical activity and large surface area of the counter electrode were grown by a chemical bath deposition (CBD) method at various times, 2, 4, and 8 h. The efficiency of DSSC with the Pt-ZnO counter electrode was improved 7.01% (grown for 2 h), 7.63% (grown for 4 h), and 6.13% (grown for 8 h), respectively. Compared with a standard DSSC without ZnO nanostructures, whose efficiency was 6.27%, the energy conversion efficiency increased approximately 22% for the DSSC with the Pt-ZnO (grown for 4 h) electrode. It indicates that the Pt coated on the ZnO nanostructure improves the electrocatalytic activity of the counter electrode.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2010.06a
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• pp.57.1-57.1
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• 2010

Development of low cost hybrid functional nano-structured materials has great interest to enhance sensitivity of dye-sensitized solar cells and reduction of the production cost. In this talk we will discuss about using different processes to modify functional characteristics of photoelectrode and investigate effects of chemical modification without significant structural variation on to enhance performance of DSSCs. Efficient electron transportation between dye molecules and photoelectrode has been obtained by appropriate chemical modification and efficiency of DSSC has been significantly improved. A comparative analysis on effects of surface functional and electron states of photoelectrode on VOC and JSC has been also carried out to discuss effects of composite materials on physical structure and electronic properties to correlate enhanced performance of these devices.