Abstract
A novel nanohybrid of graphene-based Cu2ZnNiSe4 with WO3 nanorods (G-CZNS@W) was successfully synthesized via a simple hydrothermal method to use as a counter electrode (CE) for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The characterization technique confirmed the structural and morphologies of the G-CZNS@W nanohybrid, which could show rapid electrons transfer pathway through the WO3 nanorods. Moreover, the as-fabricated G-CZNS@W nanohybrid exhibited synergetic effect between G-CZNS and a WO3 nanorod, which could affect the electrocatalytic activity towards triiodide reaction. The nanohybrid exhibits an excellent photovoltaic performance of 12.16%, which is higher than that of the standard Pt electrode under the same conditions. The G-CZNS@W nanohybrid material as CE thus offers a promising low-cost Pt-free counter electrode for DSSC.
Highlights
Extracting energy from fossil fuels is the major cause of environmental pollution
Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) consist of (1) the working electrode, which is coated by a thin, mesoporous layer of a semiconductor, usually TiO2, on whose surface a monolayer of dye molecules is adsorbed; and (2) the counter electrode, which is coated with a thin catalyzer layer, usually Pt electrode
We evaluated the photovoltaic performance of the fabricated DSSCs using a calibrated A.M 1.5 solar simulator (Newport) with a light intensity of 100 mW/cm[2] and a computer-controlled digital source meter (Keithley, Model 2420)
Summary
Extracting energy from fossil fuels is the major cause of environmental pollution. Solar energy, a source of renewable energy, could be considered as an alternative source of energy. Some of the counter electrodes with high efficiency reported so far have included carbonaceous materials, such as carbon[5], graphene[6], and N-doped carbon[7]; polymers, such as Polyaniline nanotube[8], PEDOT:PSS/halloysite[9], and poly α-naphtylamine[10]; metal sulphides, such as PbS11, FeS212, and CoS213; metal oxides, such as CoFe2O414, MnO215, and WO316; and quaternary material, such as Cu2ZnSnS417, and La1−xCaxMnO318 Among these materials, quaternary composite material has drawn much interest, due to its unique hybrid structure with low bandgap structure, adaptability of photoelectrochemical performance, and long-term stability; and the high surface area of quaternary material provides more active sites for receiving electrons from external circuits, while reducing the triiodide ion back to an iodide ion through an efficient charge transfer process[19]. The synergistic effect can decrease the resistance properties, which can increase the power conversion efficiency[23]
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