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- Title
Quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells utilizing TiO<sub>2</sub>/graphite composite counter electrode and TiO<sub>2</sub>/N719 sensitizer photoelectrode for low-cost power generation.
- Authors
Bandara, T. M. W. J.; Wickramasinghe, H. M. N.; Wijayaratne, K.; DeSilva, L. Ajith; Perera, A. A. I.
- Abstract
Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) have evolved through the highest devotion of the research community as a low-cost alternative for problematic energy conversion devices. Platinum is the most expensive metal and hence practical applications of DSCs are restricted by the usage of platinum counter electrodes. In this study, a new series of low-cost composite counter electrodes based on commercially available graphite and TiO2 nanoparticles (21 nm) are investigated. The fabricated DSCs are an assembly of TiO2 and graphite counter electrode, dye-sensitized TiO2 multilayered photoelectrode, and a gel polymer electrolyte. In such cells, the dye sensitizer absorbs photons of the visible spectrum to photogenerated electron–hole pairs, while the graphite counter electrode transfers electrons to the electrolyte to regenerate the oxidized dye in the photoelectrode. The new and low-cost series of counter electrodes were prepared to assemble quasi-solid-state DSCs in order to find optimum counter electrode composition. The study confirms that the thin film prepared by graphite/TiO2 composite is suitable for low-cost DSCs. Out of the series, the highest solar cell performance is shown by the counter electrode that contained 80 wt% graphite and 20 wt% TiO2. The photon-absorbing working electrode contained photosensitized (N719) six layers of spin-coated TiO2 nanoparticles (13 and 21 nm). In DSCs, problems inherent in liquids can be overcome when gel electrolytes replace liquid electrolytes, and thus the cells exhibited a very good short-term stability. The study confirms that the thin film prepared by graphite/TiO2 composite is suitable for low-cost DSCs. Out of the series, the highest solar cell performance is shown by the counter electrode that contained 80 wt% graphite and 20 wt% TiO2. The exhibited efficiency of 3.81% is evidently a good value for platinum-free quasi-solid-state DSC that does not contain volatile solvents in the electrolyte.
- Subjects
DYE-sensitized solar cells; PHOTOSENSITIZERS; PLATINUM electrodes; ELECTRODES; ENERGY conversion; POLYMER colloids; OPTICAL hole burning
- Publication
Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics, 2021, Vol 32, Issue 22, p26758
- ISSN
0957-4522
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s10854-021-07053-4