Application In Dye-sensitized Solar Cells Research Articles

In-depth investigation of microstructure and optical properties of tri-phase TiO2 nanoparticles at varied calcination temperatures for dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) applications

Tri-phase TiO2 nanoparticles are synthesized by facile hydrothermal method and calcinated within a temperature range of 450 °C–1050 °C. These nanoparticles are utilized as photoanode material in dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) applications. The device fabricated by utilizing TiO2 NPs calcinated at 600 °C reveals a maximum power conversion efficiency (η) of 3.79 %, with a current density (Jsc) of 7.83 mA cm−2 under one sun illumination among all tested devices. This exceptional achievement is related to the synergistic effect of 49 wt % anatase, 39 wt % rutile and 12 wt % brookite content in triphasic TiO2 NPs. The anatase emerges as the most active phase providing a sufficient surface area for dye adsorption, and in parallel rutile phase enhances the scattering of light that potentially boosts mobility and injection of photogenerated electrons (e-s) from the LUMO level (ELUMO = −3.8 eV) of N719 dye to the conduction band (ECB = −4.28 eV). Simultaneously, the presence of the brookite phase reduces the charge-carriers ((e−), (h+)) recombination rate at the TiO2 photoelectrode/electrolyte interfaces because brookite has an inherent resistance to back electron transfer. The effective light-harvesting capabilities of triphasic TiO2 NPs position them as promising contenders for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs).

Interfacial Mass Diagnostics: Quantitative Perspective on Construction and Mechanism Understanding of Dye-Sensitized, Perovskite and Quantum Dots Solar Cells.

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), quantum dot-sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs) and perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have attracted wide attention. DSSCs, QDSSCs and PSCs can be prepared by liquid phase or solid phase, which causes a certain range of interface micro-mass changes during preparation. In addition, the photoelectric conversion process occurring inside the device also inevitably causes interface micro-mass changes. Interpretation of these interface micro-mass changes can help to optimize the cell structure, improve the stability and performance repeatability of the device, as well as directly or indirectly infer, track and predict the internal photoelectric conversion mechanism of the device. Quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) is a powerful tool for studying surface mass changes, extending this technology to the fields of solar cells to directly obtain interface micro mass changes, which makes the research more in-depth and opens up a new perspective for explaining the basic principles of solar cells. This review summarizes the research progress of QCM application in DSSCs, QDSSCs and PSCs in recent years, and explores the challenges and new opportunities of QCM application in new solar cells in the future.

Novel Phenothiazine and Coumarin based Sensitizers: Design, Synthesis and Photoelectrochemical Application by Anchoring on CdS Nanowires

Novel metal-free organic dyes (E)-2-cyano-3-(10-(prop-2-yn-1-yl)-10H-phenothiazin-3-yl)acrylic acid (PPC) and (E)-2-cyano-3-(10-((1-((7-methyl-2-oxo-2H-chromen-4-yl)methyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)methyl)-4a,10a-dihydro-10H-phenothiazin-3-yl)acrylic acid (PCTC) was synthesized and then anchored to 1D cadmium sulfide nanowires (1D CdS NWs) for application in photoelectrochemical dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). The 1D CdS nanowires were interconnected into a nanonetwork using solution chemistry in a straightforward and efficient manner. The UV-visible spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry and density functional theory (DFT) were effectively employed to analyze the characteristics of PPC and PCTC. The sensitizer-anchored CdS nanowires have a broader range of light absorption in the UV-visible spectrum compared to bare CdS nanowires. The complete device has the assembly FTO, compact CdS, CdS nanowires, synthesized dye and counter electrode. In photovoltaic assessment, the PCTC and PPC devices yield 3.19 and 3.04 times, respectively, more efficiency than naked CdS nanowires under conventional sunshine illumination (100 mW/cm2, AM 1.5G). The obtained results provide strong evidence supporting the presence of rising external quantum efficiency (EQE) and show a high level of consistency with the optical tests.

Structural, electrical, optical, and DFT studies of phenothiazine-based D–π–A frameworks for dye-sensitized solar cell applications

Structural, electrical, optical, and DFT studies of phenothiazine-based D–π–A frameworks for dye-sensitized solar cell applications

Experimental optical properties explained by density functional theory of the natural red algae for dye-sensitized solar cells application.

The present study investigates the usage of a novel natural dye derived from red algae of Morocco in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) for the first time. The main pigments responsible for sensitizing the semiconductor TiO2 coatings in the red algae were identified as phycoerythrin, carotenoid, and chlorophyll. The efficiency of a DSSC made from red algae was compared to that of a solar cell made from chlorophyll alone. The photovoltaic performance of the DSSC was evaluated through photocurrent density to photovoltage (J-V) characteristic analysis, and the efficiency was found to be 0.93%. To gain insights into its behavior, the absorbance and photoluminescence in a broad range were studied. Both absorbance and photoluminescence exhibited a broad-spectrum range. Additionally, electronic properties, such as HOMO, LUMO, energy gap, and chemical reactivity parameters, were studied using density functional theory (DFT) calculations.

Implementation of bridged copolymerisation to optimise the optical properties of porphyrin: applications in dye-sensitized solar cells

This study explores the concept of all-organic sensitisation of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) by using a cosensitization approach to model efficient porphyrin-based photosensitizers. The aim is to enhance the absorption defects and light response current of porphyrin dyes, which have been reported in the literature. In this work, eight (8) natural porphyrin derivatives obtained through bridged copolymerisation of free base porphyrin and tetraazaporphyrin have been modelized and analysed. Their geometric parameters, stability energies, chemical stabilities, and photochemical properties were studied using density functional theory (DFT) methods in both gaseous and dichloromethane (DCM) phases. The analysis of photochemical properties, including maximum absorption wavelength ( λ max ), light harvesting efficiency (LHE), electron injection driving force ( Δ G inj ), regeneration driving force ( Δ G reg ), and excited state lifetime ( τ ) of the studied photosensitizers, show significant improvement compared to the parent dye (free base porphyrin) and some recent derivatives SM315 and YD2-o-C8. It is worth noting that the eight ( 8 ) modelled dyes from porphyrin show broader LHE curves not only compared to the parent dye, but also compared to the SM315 dye, which may lead to a higher running photo density. This study highlights the effectiveness of bridged copolymerisation for developing high-performance DSSCS based on porphyrin.

Enhanced dye-sensitized solar cell performance and electrochemical capacitive behavior of bi-functional ZnO/NiO/Co3O4 ternary nanocomposite prepared by chemical co-precipitation method

Increasing prerequisites for sustainable energy storage and conversion technologies have necessitated the exploration of advanced materials with improved properties. Here, we present the synthesis and characterization of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs), ZnO/NiO, ZnO/Co3O4 and ZnO/NiO/Co3O4 NCs as promising bi-functional materials for dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) and electrochemical energy storage applications. A facile chemical co-precipitation approach was followed to synthesize pure ZnO NPs, ZnO/NiO, ZnO/Co3O4 and ZnO/NiO/Co3O4 NCs. The structural and morphological analyses revealed the successful integration of ZnO, NiO, and Co3O4 NPs and also the formation of well-defined core-shell and homogenous nanocomposite structures. The XRD and HRTEM analyses confirmed the crystalline nature and nanoscale morphology of synthesized materials, respectively. The photovoltaic performance of DSSC fabricated using ternary ZnO/NiO/Co3O4 NC photoanode showed optimum dye-loading and best solar to electrical energy conversion efficiency with Jsc of 11.29 mA cm−2 and ƞ of 4.66%, which was considerably higher than the DSSC fabricated using pure ZnO NPs photoanode (ƞ = 2.01%). The increment in photocurrent density (Jsc) could be ascribed to the perfect band alignment of NiO and Co3O4 NPs in the ternary NC. Further, the ZnO/NiO/Co3O4 NC photoanode integrated DSSC disclosed 97% retainment in energy conversion efficiency even after 10 days of operation. The electrochemical performance of supercapacitor fabricated using ternary ZnO/NiO/Co3O4 NC showed high specific capacitance of 534.7 Fg−1 at 1 Ag−1 with favourable rate ability (∼52% at 16 Ag−1), good cyclic stability (91.07%) and low internal resistance. Moreover, the ZnO/NiO/Co3O4 NC at a current density of 2 Ag−1 exhibited a significantly high capacitance value of 463.1 Fg−1, which was 1.93, 1.58 and 1.22 times greater than ZnO NPs, ZnO/Co3O4 NC and ZnO/NiO NC, respectively.

Investigating dual-functional Al-doped stannic oxide nanorods towards photodegradation of real industry wastes and dye-sensitized solar cell application: An experimental and theoretical interpretation

In this work, we demonstrate a uniquely designed Tin (IV) Oxide (SnO2)-based nanomaterials for energy and environmental applications. Here, the Al-doped SnO2 nanorods (NR) at various concentrations ranging from 3 wt% to 9 wt% carried out following facile co-precipitation technique which induced synergic structural, optical and electrical properties in resulting products. Further, the Al-incorporation induced considerable changes to the structural, optical, and electrical characteristics turning SnO2 nanorods to Al-SnO2 nanocubes (NCs). Resulting changes from nanorod to nanocubes were closely monitored using various characterization techniques, which were then effectively utilized for photocatalytic degradation of important textile industry dyes, encompassing both cationic (MB, CV) and anionic (EBT) types. Optimal Al-doped SnO2 NC (6 wt%) demonstrated significant degradation efficiencies for organic pollutant and textile industry effluents under direct sunlight exposure. On the other hand, combination of optical and electrical properties was utilized in dye-sensitive solar cells (DSSCs) to achieve noteworthy efficiency of 6.33%, surpassing that of previous reported SnO2-based nanostructures. These exceptional performance nanomaterials can be attributed to the optimized morphology of the nanocubes and the reduction of the band gap from 3.24 eV to 2.75 eV facilitated by the introduction of aluminum dopant. Furthermore, synergic combination has also improved visible light excitation, substantially decreased resistance to charge carrier transfer phenomenon, improved the charge carrier concentration, as well as considerably decreased the electron/hole recombination rate. Therefore, presence of Al in SnO2 nanostructure has considerably improved the opto-electrical properties that were interpreted following theoretical studies. Therefore, study gives simple nanomaterials having both the photodegradation and dye-sensitive solar cell (DSSC) performance of the SnO2 nanostructure, as a cost-effective energy conversion and water pollution remediation tool for the near future.

Development of natural dye photosensitizers for dye-sensitized solar cells: a review.

Dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) is a photovoltaic device that can be produced from natural source pigments or natural dyes. The selection of natural dyes for DSSC application is currently under research. The utilization of natural dye materials that are easy to obtain, cost-effective, and non-toxic can reduce waste during DSSC fabrication. Natural dyes can be extracted from plants through extraction and chromatography methods. The suitability and viability of utilizing natural dyes as photosensitizers in DSSCs can be predicted using appropriate software simulation by varying related parameters to produce high power conversion efficiency. In this context, the purpose of the review is to highlight the evolution of performance improvement in the development of DSSCs with consideration of natural dye extraction and software simulation. This review also focuses on the results of extracting natural dyes from herbal ingredients, which are still very limited in information, and several parts of herbal plants that can be used as natural dye sources in the future of solid-state DSSCs have been identified. Based on the results of this review, the highest efficiency was obtained for the DSSC that used chlorophyll pigments as natural dyes using Peltophorum pterocarpum leaves with 6.07%, followed by anthocyanin pigments as natural dyes using raspberries (black) fruits with 1.5%, flavonoid pigments as natural dyes using Curcuma longa herbs with 0.64%, and flavonoid pigments as natural dyes using Indigofera tinctoria flowers with 0.46%.

Laser-induced nitrogen and boron co-doped graphene film for dye-sensitized solar cell applications

Heteroatom-doped graphenes play a crucial role in developing metal-free electrocatalysts for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). This work demonstrates an approach to synthesizing nitrogen and boron dual-doped porous graphene as an efficient DSSC counter electrode (CE) by one-step laser induction technology. The morphologies, crystal structure, and chemical composition of N and/or B-doped laser-induced graphene were characterized and confirmed by SEM, XRD, and XPS measurements. Electrochemical results indicate that the conductivity and electrocalalytic activity of the nitrogen and boron co-doped graphene (BN-LIG) for triiodide reduction were enhanced after B-doping. Hence, the DSSC based on BN-LIG CE achieved a power conversion efficiency of 4.99%, which is 90.9% of a DSSC with Pt CE.

Comprehensive study on catalytic potential of Ti3C2Tx based catalyzer for Dye sensitized solar cells application

Abstract Recently Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) have gained significant research limelight for having exceptional photovoltaic potential. However, DSSC became an underdog solar cell due to the use of an expensive transparent conductive layer (FTO/ITO) along with the use of rare earth element Pt to concoct counter electrode (CE). Thus, an attempt has been made to concoct a Ti3C2-TX MXene-based CE to replace both the transparent conductive layer and CE. Herein, relatively larger with less defective Ti3C2 flakes were produced by the minimally intensive layer delamination method, and physical architecture was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) mapping, Field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and Dynamic light scattering (DLS), respectively. MXene flakes were drop cast on a glass substrate by dispersing it in ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, and deionized water, respectively, and found the least sheet resistance, 14.824 Ω/sq by 4-point probe test, owing to superior adsorption force with the glass substrate. Ethanol solvent facilitates optimum interlamellar spacing to promote fast diffusion and transportation. Further, the study was expanded by introducing it to numerous sintering temperatures to find the best result. The result revealed exceptional sheet resistance of 0.08 Ω/sq for the 120℃ sintered sample, which was encouraged by removing water intercalant and occupying H+. Further, the potential of MXene-based counter electrode’s catalytic activity has been studied through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, Tafel polarization, and Cyclic voltammogram under iodide and triiodide-based electrolytes. The electrochemical study revealed 120℃ sintered sample superior to 140℃ sintered but comparable to Pt CE. 120℃ sintered Ti3C2-based CE performed exceptional 6.27% power conversion efficiency. Thus, this novel study communicates that Ti3C2-TX is a potential replacement for transparent conductive oxide layer and Pt, frequently used in Dye-sensitized solar cell applications.

Screening the effects of additional donors, numbers, and positions of π-spacers on perylene-based sensitizers for dye-sensitized solar cell applications

Screening the effects of additional donors, numbers, and positions of π-spacers on perylene-based sensitizers for dye-sensitized solar cell applications

Ni-Mo bimetallic oxides/rGO nanocomposites as counter electrode for the application of DSSCs

The one-pot chemical reduction process was used to generate the bimetallic Ni–Mo nanoparticles attached to reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanocomposite, which was then used as an effective counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). Diffraction patterns were used to investigate the face-centered crystalline structure of the spherical-shaped Ni–Mo nanoparticles that were uniformly anchored over the surface of rGO. The nanoparticles had an average diameter ranging from 70 to 120 nm. Raman spectroscopy was utilized to investigate the structural interaction that was created by the presence of bimetallic nanoparticles and the graphene oxide support. In addition, the rGO/Ni–Mo counter electrode equipped DSSC demonstrated the highest solar to electrical energy conversion efficiency of 3.11% under irradiation from one sun with a fill factor (FF) of 0.48.

CoS2/RGO hybrid composites as catalysts for efficient counter electrodes in Pt-free dye-sensitized solar cell applications

CoS2/RGO hybrid composites as catalysts for efficient counter electrodes in Pt-free dye-sensitized solar cell applications

Green perspective of N-CDs towards energy crisis and photodegradation of toxic dyes

Here we have presented a general overview of an environmental friendly, one-step, cost-effective, and efficient microwave irradiation method for the preparation of self heteroatom doped Nitrogen doped carbon dots (N-CDs) which demonstrated an average size of less than 10 nm and an interplaner distance of 0.334 nm. These N-CDs possess 2.35 eV energy gap with 65.5% fluorescence quantum yield. The surfaces of these graphitic-like structures are doped with (S, P, K, Mg, Zn) = 1% along with the extra passivating agent nitrogen (N). They have demonstrated wider absorption (between 300 and 550 nm) and emission (between 400 and 600 nm) bands and also managed enormous active surface sites and defects, that further extend its usage in energy harvesting, storage and photo catalysis owing to their unique property of electron transport and collection system. In addition, we have prepared, tested, and optimised new TiO2/N-CDs composite as photo anode and N-CDs/CB composite as photo cathode for application in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). The achieved power conversion efficiency of the DSSC employed photoanode N-CDs/TiO2 and counter electrode carbon black/N-CDs, demonstrated a substantial improvement, in photo current and photo voltage owing to their multiple factor visible light absorption, effective electron separation, and longer recombination time resulted a Jsc. of 22.90 mA cm2, Voc. of 0.780 V, FF. of 74% and an overall PCE of about 13.22% approximating 2.5-fold increase in power conversion efficiency as compared to that of pure TiO2 and platinum based DSSC, where Jsc. (= 10 mA cm2), Voc. (= 0.750 V) and a total of 5.42% power efficiency. Furthermore, TiO2 was modified with Heteroatom-doped N-CDs using a novel ultrasonic immersion technique, and demonstrated greater photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methylene blue (85%) with a rate constant of 0.1068 in accordance with the pure TiO2 film and N-CDs which have showed only 20% and 30% photodegradation with lower rate constants under short UV irradiation, demonstrating the formation of reactive oxygen species and H+ ions in the sample solution resulting enhanced effective mobility of electrons and holes between TiO2/N-CDs composite nanomaterial, resulted greater photo degradation.

Synthesis of TiO2 by hydrothermal method using deep eutectic solvent for application in dye-sensitised solar cell

Raw TiO2 powder from a commercial source was used as a precursor in the hydrothermal process with deep eutectic solvent (DES) of choline chloride and urea with a molar ratio of 1:2 at different temperatures and interval times. The synthesised TiO2 was further utilised to produce diffracting TiO2 paste for application in dye-sensitised solar cells (DSCs) to improve the power conversation efficiency of devices. The TiO2 product analysed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed a similar phase and crystallinity to the raw material. However, scanning electron microscope (SEM) images showed that the hydrothermal TiO2 product had less particle aggregation than the raw one. The particle size was exceedingly 100 nm. The TiO2 pastes were prepared with a mixture of ethyl acetate and terpineol at volume ratios of 3:7 and 4:6. The paste was suitable to make thin films by the screen-printing method as a diffusion layer in cells. DSC devices using the TiO2 produced by the hydrothermal process with DES at 140oC for 18, 24, and 36 hours, respectively, enhanced the power conversion efficiency by 6.7-6.9%, which was higher than the ones using raw TiO2 by about 7%. Therefore, TiO2 powder modified by the hydrothermal process in DES solvent has great potential for application in DSC manufacture.

Iron cobalt selenide counter electrode for application in dye-sensitized solar cell: synthesis parameter, structural, electrochemical, and efficiency studies

Iron cobalt selenide counter electrode for application in dye-sensitized solar cell: synthesis parameter, structural, electrochemical, and efficiency studies

Biosynthesis of TiO2 nanostructures using Camellia sinensis extract (polyphenols) and investigation of their execution as photoanodes in photovoltaic device

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles (NPs) are indeed widely recognized and utilized as one of the most prominent photoanode materials in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Therefore continuous efforts have been made to improve the performance of TiO2 photoanodes in terms of light absorption, charge carrier mobility, and overall energy conversion efficiency. Green synthesis methods for the production of TiO2 NPs, including the use of plant-based reducing agents, have gained significant attention in recent years. These methods are considered environmental friendly alternatives to traditional physical and chemical synthesis methods, which often involve the use of hazardous chemicals and complex processes. Therefore, in this work, a variety of tea types, including green, white, black, oolong, pu-erh have been used to synthesize TiO2 NPs. The differences in the amount of phenolic compounds and caffeine in various tea varieties can influence the topology, structure, and composition of the as synthesized nanoparticles (NPs). The prepared TiO2 NPs were comprehensively characterized for particle size, morphology, purity, composition, crystalline nature, structural, electrochemical and photovoltaic capabilities. The as synthesized titanium oxide (TiO2) NPs were spherical in shape and particle sizes ranged from 10 to 20 nm with little agglomerations. For DSSC application, thin films of synthesized TiO2 NPs were prepared by making paste of TiO2 NPs with Triton-X and spread onto conducting substrate (FTO) with the help of glass rod and finally sintering for 1 h at 450 °C. The prepared TiO2 electrodes were dipped in the standard N719 dye solution (0.1 × 10−3 M) in acetonitrile medium overnight for complete adsorption. Overall efficiency = 3.0 %, JSC = 9.72 mA/cm2, VOC = 660 mV and FF = 0.46 was achieved with the DSSC made up with green tea mediated TiO2 NPs based photo anode. Due to high phenolic content and good reductive properties, TiO2 NPs prepared using green tea extract were highly crystalline in nature, have high surface area, high roughness factor, good stability which results in maximum dye loading and hence increase in the overall conversion efficiency.

DFT study of the spectroscopic behaviour of different iron(II)-terpyridine derivatives with application in DSSCs

Through a comprehensive computational analysis utilizing Density Functional Theory (DFT), we clarify the electronic structure and spectroscopic properties of modified iron(II)-terpyridine derivatives, with the aim of enhancing the efficiency of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs). We optimized a series of nineteen iron(II)-terpyridine derivatives and related compounds in acetonitrile (MeCN) as the solvent using TDDFT, evaluating their potential as dyes for DSSCs. From the conducted computations on the optimized geometries of the nineteen [Fe(Ln)2]2+ complexes, containing substituted terpyridine and related ligands L1-L19, we determined the wavelengths (λ in nm), transition energy (E in eV), oscillator strength (f), type of transitions, excited state lifetime (τ), light harvesting efficiency (LHE), frontier orbital character and their energies (ELUMO/EHOMO), natural transition orbitals (NTOs), injection driving force of a dye (ΔGinject), and regeneration driving force of a dye (ΔGregenerate). Results show that the theoretically calculated values for assessing dye efficiency in a DSSC correlate with available experimental values. The UV–visible spectra of [Fe(Ln)2]2+ exhibited a peak above 500 nm (λmax) in the visible region, attributed to the ligand-to-metal charge transfer band (LMCT) in literature, and a significant absorbance peak at approximately 300 nm (λA,max) in the UV region. The M06-D3/CEP-121G method replicated all reported λmax and λA,max values with a mean absolute deviation (MAD) of 21 and 18 nm, respectively. Our findings underscore the connections between electronic modifications and absorption spectra, emphasizing their impact on the light-harvesting capabilities and overall performance of DSSCs. This research contributes to the advancement of fundamental principles governing the design and optimization of novel photovoltaic materials, facilitating the development of more efficient and sustainable solar energy technologies.

Natural dyes extracted from Ligustrum vulgare, Juniperus sabina, and Papaver rhoeas for novel DSSC applications

An effective extraction strategy has been devised to get natural dye sensitizers from Ligustrum vulgare fruit (M1), Juniperus sabina fruit (M6), and Papaver rhoeas petal (M9) to produce dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The power conversion efficiencies (PCE) achieved from the DSSCs with dyes extracted from Ligustrum vulgare fruit, Juniperus sabina fruit, and Papaver rhoeas petal are 0.48 %, 0.55 %, and 0.42 %, respectively. The improved photovoltaic efficiency of the DSSCs created using Juniperus sabina fruit can be primarily due to the notable increase in the open circuit voltage, which reached 0.66 V.