Nickel sulphide-reduced graphene oxide composites as counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells: Influence of nickel chloride concentration

Abstract

Nickel sulphide-reduced graphene oxide (NiS-rGO) composite films have been prepared via modified Hummers’s method assisted with spin coating technique. The NiS-rGO samples were then employed as counter electrode in a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). The main aim of this work is to investigate the relationship between the concentrations of NiCl2 with the properties of NiS-rGO and performance parameters of the device. The dominant rGO and minor NiS phase exist in the composite. The morphology of the composite is white strips rGO and NiS agglomerate particle. The element of C, O, Ni and S present in the composite. The highest η of 1.04% and Jsc of 7.39 mA cm−2 were obtained from the device with 0.06 M NiCl2 resulted from the longest carrier lifetime. The photovoltaic parameters results reveal that NiS-rGO composite has potential to become as a free platinum counter electrode of DSSC.