UPSI Digital Repository (UDRep)
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UPSI Digital Repository (UDRep)
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| Abstract : Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris |
| This study aimed to fabricate counter electrode (CE) and photoanode for dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) application. The method used to synthesize graphene oxide (GO) was electrochemical exfoliation which assisted by custom-made triple-tails sodium 1, 4-bis (neopentyloxy)-3-(neopentyloxycarbonyl)-I, 4-dioxobutane-2-silphonate (TC 14) and commercially available single-tail sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) surfactants. The GO was then reduced by reduction process in order to produce reduced GO (rGO). The samples of TC14-GO, TC14-rGO, SDS-rGO and hybrid of TC14-rGO with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were used as CEo The CE thin films were fabricated by using spraying method on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate. The platinum (Pt) was then coated on TC 14-rGO and TC 14-rGO/CNTs hybrid thin films. For the photoanode, the zinc oxide nanorods (ZnO NRs) and nanowires (NWRs) with the titanium dioxide (Ti02) coating were fabricated via sol-gel immersion and squeegee method. The samples were characterized using electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, micro-Raman, ultraviolet visible spectroscopy and four-point probes measurement. Solar simulator, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry measurement were used to analyze DSSCs performances. The finding shows that the highest energy conversion efficiency for DSSCs application was found to be 0.0842% by using TCI4- rGO/CNTslPt hybrid as CE and ZnO NWRs (24h)/Ti02 bilayer as photoanode. The open circuit voltage, short circuit density and fill factor of the sample exhibited 0.608 V, 0.285 ma/cnr' and 0.397, respectively. In conclusion, the rOo assisted by custommade TC 14 surfactant and its hybrid with CNTs and Pt was good material to be applied as CE for DSSCs application. In addition, ZnO NWRs (24h)/Ti02 bilayer also demonstrated good candidates for photoanode due to large surface area thus improve the dye adsorption. Implication of this study is a novel, low cost and green approach for CE fabrication by using rGO assisted custom-made TC14 surfactant with CNTs. |
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