Nicotinic acid as a new co-adsorbent in dye-sensitized solar cells
http://repository.vnu.edu.vn/handle/VNU_123/28775 With the aim of introduction a new inexpensive co-adsorbent to improve solar cell performance, the influ-ence of nicotinic acid (NTA) used as a co-adsorbent in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) was investigated. The findings showed that low concentrations of NTA (<10 mM) increased the N719 ruthenium dye loading on the TiO2electrode surface by 10–12%, whereas higher concentrations of NTA lowered the dye loading. The adsorption of NTA onto the TiO2electrode surface was studied by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and the blocking effect of NTA toward electron transfer between the electrode and 1,4-dicyanonaphthalene (redox couple electrolyte probe) was investigated by cyclic voltammetry. Subsequently, the performance of NTA in functional DSCs was evaluated by current–voltage (J–V) DSC characterization and compared with that of DS...