Novel Gamma-Irradiated Chitosan-Doped Reduced Graphene-Cuins2 Composites as Counter Electrodes for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell

Abstract

A novel gamma-irradiated chitosan-doped reduced graphene-CuInS2 composite (Chi@RGO-CIS) was used as the counter electrode (CE) to address the problems associated with traditional counter electrodes. The system was fabricated following a simple hydrothermal method. The prepared Chi@RGO-CIS was characterized by various spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. The synergistic effect between chitosan, CuInS2, and reduced graphene oxide can help in the production of a large surface area. It can also help in the generation of catalytic sites toward I-/I3-redox electrolytes. We used a composite (based on electrical considerations) to study the effect of the amount of graphene on the characteristics and photovoltaic efficiency of the Chi@RGO-CIS composites. The solar cell assembled with 1.5% Chi@RGO-CIS exhibited an efficiency of 12.21%. The efficiency was higher than that of a Pt-based device (9.96%) fabricated under the same conditions. Hence, Chi@RGO-CIS can be potentially used as the CE of Dye-Sensitized Solar cell (DSSCs). These can be used as substitutes for Pt in DSSCs.

Keywords: Gamma-Irradiated Chitosan, Graphene, CuInS2 Counter Electrode, Dye-sensitized solar cell