Investigation of the Effect of Semiconductor and Counter Electrode on the Efficiency of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Organic Colorants, Institute for Color Science and Technology, P.O. Box: 16765-654, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Nanomaterials and Nanocoatings, Institute for Color Science and Technology, P.O. Box: 16765-654, Tehran, Iran

3 Department of Physics, Shahrood University of Technology, P.O. Box: 36155-316, Shahrood, Iran

10.30509/jcst.2024.167373.1238

Abstract

Dye-sensitized solar cells are a good option for producing renewable energy based on converting sunlight into electrical energy. To facilitate the commercialization of this technology, it can be effective to replace expensive parts and reduce the recombination phenomenon. For this purpose, two parts of the semiconductor and the counter electrode were investigated. Semiconductors are used in the photoanode preparation and receive the electron produced by the dye excitation. In this research, two semiconductors, ZnO and Na-doped TiO2, are selected, and their performance is compared with that of titanium dioxide. Two organometallic dyes with two different electron acceptor groups were prepared as sensitizers. The highest yield was obtained in the presence of organic dye containing cyanoacrylic acid and Na-doped TiO2, equal to 6.27 %. Platinum as the counter electrode is an expensive part of dye-sensitized solar cells. Graphene oxide, its hybrid, and its composite with MoS2 were investigated to replace platinum. Graphene oxide has weak electrocatalytic properties, which can be solved by using MoS2. The highest yield was obtained in organic dye containing cyanoacrylic acid, MoS2/GO composite, and Na-doped TiO2, equivalent to 6.03 %. The results illustrated that MoS2/GO can be used instead of platinum.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Journal of Color Science and Technology
Volume 18, Issue 3 - Serial Number 69
December 2024
Pages 190-181

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