Controllable Electrochemical Synthesis of Reduced Graphene Oxide Thin-Film Constructed as Efficient Photoanode in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.

Soon Chong,Sharifah Abd Hamid,Chin Lai

doi:10.3390/ma9020069

Abstract

A controllable electrochemical synthesis to convert reduced graphene oxide (rGO) from graphite flakes was introduced and investigated in detail. Electrochemical reduction was used to prepare rGO because of its cost effectiveness, environmental friendliness, and ability to produce rGO thin films in industrial scale. This study aimed to determine the optimum applied potential for the electrochemical reduction. An applied voltage of 15 V successfully formed a uniformly coated rGO thin film, which significantly promoted effective electron transfer within dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Thus, DSSC performance improved. However, rGO thin films formed in voltages below or exceeding 15 V resulted in poor DSSC performance. This behavior was due to poor electron transfer within the rGO thin films caused by poor uniformity. These results revealed that DSSC constructed using 15 V rGO thin film exhibited high efficiency (η = 1.5211%) attributed to its higher surface uniformity than other samples. The addition of natural lemon juice (pH ~ 2.3) to the electrolyte accelerated the deposition and strengthened the adhesion of rGO thin film onto fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glasses.

Highlights

The rapid growth of the global population and industrial activities pose a great challenge to meeting ever-increasing energy demands in the future
World electricity generation is dominated by fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas
graphene oxide (GO) was synthesized by using the simplified hummers method [19]

Summary

Introduction

The rapid growth of the global population and industrial activities pose a great challenge to meeting ever-increasing energy demands in the future. World electricity generation is dominated by fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas. Fossil fuels are non-renewable resources that might be depleted, which simultaneously causes the prices of these fuels to rise over the years. The combustion of fossil fuels emits greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide that greatly impact global warming and climate change. Electricity is the fastest growing form of energy, and net global electricity generation is projected to grow by 2.2% annually from 2008 to 2035 [1]. The high demand of energy supply has motivated researchers to seek alternative sources of energy

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