Abstract
Different counter electrode (CE) materials based on carbon and Cu2S were prepared for the application in CdS and CdSe quantum dot-sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs). The CEs were prepared using low-cost and facile methods. Platinum was used as the reference CE material to compare the performances of the other materials. While carbon-based materials produced the best solar cell performance in CdS QDSSCs, platinum and Cu2S were superior in CdSe QDSSCs. Different CE materials have different performance in the two types of QDSSCs employed due to the different type of sensitizers and composition of polysulfide electrolytes used. The poor performance of QDSSCs with some CE materials is largely due to the lower photocurrent density and open-circuit voltage. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy performed on the cells showed that the poor-performing QDSSCs had higher charge-transfer resistances and CPE values at their CE/electrolyte interfaces.
Highlights
As the world population grows, the demand for energy consumption will increase in tandem
CdS and CdSe quantum dot-sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs) have been fabricated with quantum dots (QDs)-sensitized TiO2 layers prepared via Successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method and selected liquid electrolytes
The J-V curves for both types of QDSSCs showed that solar cell performance is considerably influenced by the choice of counter electrode (CE) materials
Summary
As the world population grows, the demand for energy consumption will increase in tandem. Among the prominent materials for QD sensitizers, CdS and CdSe are widely used due to their easy preparation. Alternative low-cost CE materials were used in CdS and CdSe QDSSC assembly to understand the effect of CE materials towards the solar cell performance. Two different optimized polysulfide liquid electrolytes were used in the CdS and CdSe QDSSCs. Photoelectrochemical performance of the cells was investigated to assess the effect of the CE materials. This study was undertaken to explore the best low-cost and easy-to-prepare CE material for CdS and CdSe QDSSCs. To the author's best knowledge, there is no report in the literature on the performance of easy-to-prepare low-cost graphite, carbon soot and RGO used as CEs in QDSSCs. TiO2 electrode. Seven SILAR cycles were used to prepare a CdSe QD-sensitized TiO2 electrode
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