Improved Photoelectrochemical Cell With Carbon Nanotubes

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were incorporated into a dye-sensitized titanium dioxide (TiO₂)-based photoelectrode and characterized in a conventional three-arm system for water photolysis. Improvements in short-circuit current, efficiency, and lifetime were observed in the presence of an increase in SWCNT concentration at the TiO₂-ITO (back-electrode) interface. The mechanism behind these improvements was explained on the basis of the SWCNTs acting as a conductive scaffolding network responsible for anchoring the TiO₂ and transporting the photoelectrons to the back electrode.