The Enhancement of Photoanode Efficiency in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells with TiO₂/Graphene Nanocomposite

J Nanosci Nanotechnol. 2019 Dec 1;19(12):7702-7706. doi: 10.1166/jnn.2019.16843.

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of the graphene content (0 wt.%, 0.1 wt.%, 0.3 wt.%, 0.5 wt.%, and 0.7 wt.%) on the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) containing TiO₂/graphene photoanodes. These photoanodes were characterized via X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, ultraviolet (UV)-visible (Vis) spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry (CV), photoluminescence (PL), and photoelectric conversion efficiency tests. The optimal conditions were obtained by adding 0.3 wt.% graphene to the TiO₂ photoanode. The conversion efficiency of this photoanode was 3.6 times higher than that of a pure TiO₂ photoanode under simulated 100 mW/cm₂ AM 1.5 light. This was attributed to its improved electron transfer ability, light absorption properties, and efficient dye adsorption capacity.