Low-Cost and Efficient Nickel Nitroprusside/Graphene Nanohybrid Electrocatalysts as Counter Electrodes for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Novel nickel nitroprusside (NNP) nanoparticles with incorporated graphene nanoplatelets (NNP/GnP) were used for the first time as a low-cost and effective counter electrode (CE) for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). NNP was synthesized at a low-temperature (25 °C) solution process with suitable pu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Materials Vol. 14; no. 21; p. 6563
Main Author: Rahman, Md. Mahbubur
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01.11.2021
MDPI
Subjects:
Carbon
Charge transfer
Dye-sensitized solar cells
Dyes
Electrocatalysts
Electrodes
Electrolytes
Electrolytic cells
Ethanol
Glass substrates
Graphene
Low cost
Low temperature
Nanoparticles
Nickel
Photovoltaic cells
Platinum
Redox reactions
Spectrum analysis
United Kingdom > UK
United States > US
Japan
chemical synthesis
counter electrode
nickel pentacyanonitrosylferrate
solar cells
electrocatalytic
graphene
ISSN:1996-1944, 1996-1944
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Novel nickel nitroprusside (NNP) nanoparticles with incorporated graphene nanoplatelets (NNP/GnP) were used for the first time as a low-cost and effective counter electrode (CE) for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). NNP was synthesized at a low-temperature (25 °C) solution process with suitable purity and crystallinity with a size range from 5 to 10 nm, as confirmed by different spectroscopic and microscopic analyses. The incorporation of an optimized amount of GnP (0.2 wt%) into the NNP significantly improved the electrocatalytic behavior for the redox reaction of iodide (I−)/tri-iodide (I3−) by decreasing the charge-transfer resistance at the CE/electrolyte interface, lower than the NNP- and GnP-CEs, and comparable to the Pt-CE. The NNP/GnP nanohybrid CE when applied in DSSC exhibited a PCE of 6.13% (under one sun illumination conditions) with the Jsc, Voc, and FF of 14.22 mA/cm2, 0.628 V, and 68.68%, respectively, while the PCE of the reference Pt-CE-based DSSC was 6.37% (Jsc = 14.47 mA/cm2, Voc = 0.635 V, and FF = 69.20%). The low cost of the NNP/GnP hybrid CE with comparable photovoltaic performance to Pt-CE can be potentially exploited as a suitable replacement of Pt-CE in DSSCs.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
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ISSN:1996-1944
1996-1944
DOI:10.3390/ma14216563