In
this work, the effect of carbon dots (C-dots) on the performance of
NiO-based dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) was explored. NiO nanoparticles
(NPs) with a rectangular shape (average size: 11.4 × 16.5 nm2) were mixed with C-dots, which were synthesized from citric
acid (CA) and ethylenediamine (EDA). A photocathode consisting of
a composite of C-dots with NiO NPs (NiO@C-dots) was then used to measure
the photovoltaic performance of a DSSC. A power conversion efficiency
(PCE) of 9.85% (430 nm LED@50 mW/cm2) was achieved by a
DSSC fabricated via the adsorption of N719 sensitizer with a C-dot
content of 12.5 wt % at a 1.5:1 EDA/CA molar ratio. This PCE value
was far larger than the PCE value (2.44 or 0.152%) obtained for a
NiO DSSC prepared without the addition of C-dots or N719, respectively,
indicating the synergetic effect by the co-adsorption of C-dots and
N719. This synergetically higher PCE of the NiO@C-dot-based DSSC was
due to the larger amount of sensitizer adsorbed onto the composites
with a larger specific surface area and the faster charge transfer
in the NiO@C-dot working electrode. In addition, the C-dots bound
to the NiO NPs shorten the band gap of the NiO NPs due to energy transfer
and give rise to faster charge separation in the electrode. The most important fact is that C-dots are the main sensitizer, while
N719 tightly adsorbs on C-dots and NiO behaves as an accelerator of
a positive electron transfer and a restrainer of the electron–hole
recombination. These results reveal that C-dots are a remarkable enhancer
for NiO NPs in DSSCs and that NiO@C-dots are promising photovoltaic
electrode materials for DSSCs.
A nickel oxide nanoparticle (NiO NP) composite with carbon dots (C-dots), (NiO NPs@C-dots) was synthesized, characterized, and then its antibacterial activity was evaluated. NiO NPs were prepared using Buddleja polystachya Fresen leaf extract and Ni(NO 3 ) 2 .6H 2 O as precursors. The C-dots were synthesized from benzene-1,-4-diamine and citric acid.
The preparation of flexible electrode, including working electrode (WE) and counter electrode (CE), for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) utilizing metal oxides using environmentally friendly sustainable TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibers (TOCNFs) is reported in this work. A new type of flexible electrode for the DSSCs, which were made of cellulose nanofiber composites with nickel hydroxide [CNF/Ni(OH) 2 ] substrate films and cellulose nanofiber composites with polypyrrole (CNF/PPY). Nickel hydroxide, Ni(OH) 2 , has been prepared hydrothermally in the presence of TOCNFs, [TOCNF@Ni(OH) 2 ]. Similarly, the conductive polymer substrate has also been prepared from a composite consisting of TOCNF and PPY, TOCNF@ PPY film, by means of polymerization for the CE. Overall, the prepared electrodes both WE from CNF/Ni(OH) 2 substrates and CE from the TOCNF@PPY substrate film were revealed as the novelty of this work and which no one has introduced previously. Although NiO nanoparticles (NPs) coated on the Ni(OH) 2 /TOCNF electrode also produced a good power conversion efficiency, PCE (0.75%); nevertheless, the NiO NP treatment with carbon dots boosted the efficiency up to 1.3%.
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