Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics, Vol.52, No.4, 321-332, 2014
Graphene Oxide Sheet-Polyaniline Nanohybrids for Enhanced Photovoltaic Performance of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells
In this study, photovoltaic (PV) properties of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) incorporated with graphene oxide nanosheet-polyaniline (GOS-PANI) nanohybrid/poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) blend gel electrolytes were investigated. Chemical structure and composition of GOS-PANI nanohybrids were characterized by Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The images of transmission electron microscopy revealed that PANI nanorods were anchored to the single-layered GOS for the GOS-PANI nanohybrids. Ionic conductivities of the GOS-PANI/PEO-based gel electrolytes were measured using a conductivity meter. The electrochemical catalytic activities of the GOS-PANI nanohybrids were determined through cyclic voltammetry. These GOS-PANI nanohybrids were served as the extended electron transfer materials and catalyst for the electrochemical reduction of I-3(-). Due to the enhancement of the ionic conductivity and electrochemical catalytic activity of the gel electrolyte, better PV performance was observed for the DSSCs based on the GOS-PANI containing electrolytes as compared to the pristine PEO electrolyte-based DSSC sample. Moreover, PV performances of the GOS-PANI/PEO-based DSSCs were closely related to the PANI content of GOS-PANI nanohybrids. The highest photo-energy conversion efficiency (5.63%) was obtained for an optimized GOS-PANI/PEO (5:95, w/w) blend gel electrolyte-based DSSC sample. (c) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2014, 52, 321-332
Keywords:conducting polymers;dye-sensitized solar cell;electrochemistry;nanocomposites;photovoltaic performance;polyaniline-functionalized graphene oxide sheet;polymer gel electrolyte