Growth of aligned multiwalled carbon nanotube arrays film on stainless steel substrates for electrode applications

摘要

The aligned multiwalled carbon nanotube (AMWCNT) films were grown on stainless steel (StS) substrates by low temperature chemical vapor deposition. Their properties and application as novel, low cost and highly efficient counter electrodes for dye sensitized solar cells (DSCs) were investigated. Due to high catalytic activity of the AMWCNT films and good conductivity of StS substrates, an overall light-to-electricity conversion efficiency of 7.03% is obtained for the DSCs based on AMWCNT/StS electrode under AM 1.5 irradiation (100 mW cm-2). The stability test at moderate conditions indicated the good stability of the AMWCNT/StS electrode in the electrolyte containing iodide/triiodide. The results demonstrate a potential alternative to the expensive noble metal Pt/FTO in future applications of DSCs.