Novel High Pressure Exfoliated Graphene-Based Semitransparent Stable DSSCs for Building Integrated Photovoltaics

Abstract

Integrating dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) with a building’s architecture is required for its commercialization. Coupling semitransparent designer DSSCs with windows has the dual benefit of providing daylighting and power generation. To achieve this, we report a low-cost, novel, high-pressure exfoliation technique for graphene and utilize it as a transparent counter electrode for fabrication of semitransparent DSSCs. By adopting environmentally friendly and economic exfoliated graphene instead of conventional platinum, the overall device cost comes down. The electrocatalytic behavior of fabricated transparent graphene counter electrode was assessed using cyclic voltammetry, Tafel plot in symmetry cell configuration, and impedance spectroscopy. We have fabricated DSSC with >70% transmittance in the visible spectrum, which gives promising power conversion efficiency of 3.19%. The fabricated cells were stable for more than 500 h under constant illumination with no significant efficiency drop. Also, we have fabricated designer semitransparent DSSCs using various symbols.

A New Aspect for Band Gap Energy of Graphene-Mg2CuSnCoO6-Gallic Acid as a Counter Electrode for Enhancing Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Performance

“…The 10% G/MCS@Gallic showed a low E pp (660 mV), indicating excellent catalytic activity for I 3 – reduction and electron transfer efficiency. The excellent catalytic activity of 10% G/MCS@Gallic CE could be mainly attributed to its larger specific surface area for providing the most catalytic activity sites and to its abundant hierarchical pore structure, leading to the highest charge transfer rate. , Moreover, stabilities of G/MCS, 1% G/MCS@Gallic, 10% G/MCS@Gallic (A) and (B) CEs were determined via CV measurements (Figure S8). Stabilities of all counter electrodes were analyzed at a scan rate of 20 mV for 10 cycles.…”

Toward Sustainable, Colorless, and Transparent Photovoltaics: State of the Art and Perspectives for the Development of Selective Near‐Infrared Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells

“…[244,245] Nemala et al reported on the application of pressure exfoliated single graphene sheet as possible CE in DSSC (Table 11 entry 3). [246] They have reached a transparency level close to 100%. However, the low catalytic activity of the CE with respect to the tri-iodide/iodide redox system strongly penalized the fill factor value compared to Pt.…”

EDTA derived graphene supported porous cobalt hexacyanoferrate nanospheres as a highly electroactive nanocomposite for hydrogen peroxide sensing

“…GNPs were prepared by a liquid phase high-pressure spray exfoliation technique. 50 This method follows three steps: dispersion, intercalation, and spray exfoliation. In the first step, a highly dispersed graphite solution was prepared by adding 1 wt% of dispersing agents, DISPERSE 2012, Antitera 250, and an intercalating agent tetrabutylammonium sulfate (TBA) to the graphite suspension (5 mg ml −1 ) in deionized water followed by stirring.…”