Solid State Ionics, Vol.327, 99-109, 2018
An alternative of NiCoSe doped graphene hybrid La6W2O15 for renewable energy conversion used in dye-sensitized solar cells
A cost effective and efficient alternative counter electrode (CE) to replace commercially existing platinum (Pt) based CEs for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) is necessary to make DSSCs competitive. Herein, we report the model-controllable synthesis of Graphene-La6W2O15 doped NiSe-CoSe quantum dot (GLW-NiCoSe) nanosheets with various NiCoSe content via simple hydrothermal method and used as CE for DSSC application. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) results confirmed that the as-synthesized GLW-NiCoSe nanosheets quantum dot exhibited good electrocatalytic properties and a low charge transfer resistance at the electrolyte-electrode interface. In addition, Thermal images and Photocurrent also demonstrate stability effect of material with more exposed edge sites and appropriate NiCoSe ratio. GLW-NiCoSe nanosheets performed rough surfaces, well-defined interior voids, large specific surface areas and outstanding catalytic actives. Finally, the mechanism of this material has been reported. All of these results showed a high energy conversion efficiency of up to 8%, which was comparable to the Pt CE (7%). The simple fabricated and good electrocatalytic properties of GLW-NiCoSe nanosheets make them as an alternative CE for DSSCs.