Enhanced Electrocatalytic Performance of a Porous g‐C3N4/Graphene Composite as a Counter Electrode for Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells |
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Authors: | Prof Guiqiang Wang Dr Juan Zhang Dr Shuai Kuang Dr Wei Zhang |
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Institution: | 1. School of New Energy, Bohai University, Jinzhou, P.R. China;2. School of Chemical Engineering, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo, P. R. China |
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Abstract: | A porous graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C3N4)/graphene composite was prepared by a simple hydrothermal method and explored as the counter electrode of dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSCs). The obtained g‐C3N4/graphene composite was characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, FTIR spectroscopy, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results show that incorporating graphene nanosheets into g‐C3N4 forms a three‐dimensional architecture with a high surface area, porous structure, efficient electron‐transport network, and fast charge‐transfer kinetics at the g‐C3N4/graphene interfaces. These properties result in more electrocatalytic active sites and facilitate electrolyte diffusion and electron transport in the porous framework. As a result, the as‐prepared porous g‐C3N4/graphene composite exhibits an excellent electrocatalytic activity. In I?/I3? redox electrolyte, the charge‐transfer resistance of the porous g‐C3N4/graphene composite electrode is 1.8 Ω cm2, which is much lower than those of individual g‐C3N4 (70.1 Ω cm2) and graphene (32.4 Ω cm2) electrodes. This enhanced electrocatalytic performance is beneficial for improving the photovoltaic performance of DSCs. By employing the porous g‐C3N4/graphene composite as the counter electrode, the DSC achieves a conversion efficiency of 7.13 %. This efficiency is comparable to 7.37 % for a cell with a platinum counter electrode. |
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Keywords: | doping dye-sensitized solar cells electrochemistry graphene nitrogen |
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