A Plasmonic Solar Cell Integrated with a Carbon Nanotubes Supercapacitor in a Single Device: Unifying Energy Conversion and Storage
Remya Narayanan a, Melepurath Deepa a, Avanish K. Srivastava b
a Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Department of Chemistry, ODF Estate, Yeddumailaram, Hyderabad, 502205
b CSIR-National Physical Laboratory, Doctor KS Krishnan Marg, New Delhi, India
International Conference on Hybrid and Organic Photovoltaics
Proceedings of 6th International Conference on Hybrid and Organic Photovoltaics (HOPV14)
Ecublens, Switzerland, 2014 May 11th - 14th
Organizers: Michael Graetzel and Mohammad Nazeeruddin
Poster, Melepurath Deepa, 341
Publication date: 1st March 2014

A solar powered supercapacitor cell with a new architecture wherein a plasmonic quantum dot solar cell (QDSC) produces the photocurrent for charging/discharging a multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) based supercapacitor is demonstrated (Figure 1). Au fibers with a face centered cubic lattice were integrated into a TiO2/CdS electrode to yield a TiO2/CdS/Au photoanode. The plasmonic effect of Au fibers was reflected in the increased absorption of CdS, higher power conversion efficiency (PCE = 2.1%) delivered by the TiO2/CdS/Au photoanode in comparison to the non-plasmonic TiO2/CdS photoanode (PCE = 1.41%). The role of Au fibrillar plasmons in improving charge transfer and propagation in the photoanode was affirmed from fluorescence quenching and decreased excited electron lifetimes. A Janus type bi-functional electrode composed of MWCNTs on either face separated by glass was developed for the first time and it was coupled with the TiO2/CdS/Au and another MWCNT electrode to yield the tandem solar powered supercapacitor. By channeling the photocurrent produced by the QDSC part under 0.2 sun illumination, the capacitance of the symmetric supercapacitor part, without the application of any external bias was 150 F g-1 which compares well with reported values of the electrically powered CNT supercapacitors. The solar powered supercapacitor showed a 68% capacitance retention after 25 cycles of charge/discharge under continuous 0.2 sun illumination which established the stability of QDSC as a source of constant electric pulse and that of the juxtaposed supercapacitor as well to repeated redox cycling. Our innovative design for this photosupercapacitor offers a new paradigm for unifying low cost photovoltaics with energy storage to yield a technologically useful device that requires only solar energy to run. 


Photocurrent from a plasmonic solar cell charges a MWCNT supercapacitor
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