Improved Photocurrent of a Poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-ClO₄^–/TiO₂ Thin Film-modified Counter Electrode for Dye-sensitized Solar Cells

Abstract

We prepared a poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT)-ClO₄^–-supported TiO₂ thin-film electrode as a counter electrode on a transparent conductive oxide glass electrode for a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) using a combination of sol-gel and electropolymerization methods. The photocurrent-voltage characteristics indicate that DSSCs with PEDOT-ClO₄^–/TiO₂ thin-film counter electrodes had a high photovoltaic conversion efficiency similar to that of PEDOT-ClO₄^–/TiO₂ particle composite-film electrodes. Furthermore, it was found that the photocurrent was increased by attaching a reflector to the opposite side of the transparent counter electrode.