Preparation and characterization of laser-induced graphene derived from polyimide for dye-sensitized solar cell applications

Abstract

The synthesis of laser-induced graphene (LIG) from polyimide (PI) sheets provides a cost-effective and direct patterning approach for graphene-based electronic devices. However, the fabrication of LIG-based electrodes toward photovoltaic applications urgently needs to be explored. Herein, facile high-yield production of the porous LIG counter electrodes for DSSC applications was demonstrated by laser induction of PI film. The electrical conductivity and electrocatalytic activity of the LIG electrodes increased with the applied laser power due to the formation of a unique hierarchical porous graphene structure with abundant edges and defects, which resulted in an evident improvement in power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 3.56%. In addition, a one-step in situ synthesis of Pt/LIG composite was further demonstrated by laser irradiation on the PI sheet with low loadings of Pt precursor to obtain a Pt-less counter electrode. It is found that the Pt/LIG composite electrode-based DSSC achieved a higher PCE of 3.80%, which is comparable to that of pure Pt-based DSSC. This study demonstrates that the porous LIG from PI films is a promising candidate as a carbonaceous counter electrode for DSSCs.