A paper-based electrode using a graphene dot/PEDOT:PSS composite for flexible solar cells

Abstract

A paper-based electrode using a graphene dot/PEDOT:PSS composite for flexible solar cells, Nano Energy, http://dx. AbstractWe have synthesized a metal-free composite ink that contains graphene dots (GDs) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) that can be used on paper to serve as the counter electrode in a flexible dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). This paper-based GD/PEDOT:PSS electrode is low-cost, light-weight, flexible, environmentally friendly, and easy to cut and process for device fabrication. We determined the GD/PEDOT:PSS composite effectively fills the dense micro-pores in the paper substrate, which leads to improved carrier transport in the electrode and a 3-fold enhanced cell efficiency as compared to the paper electrode made with sputtered Pt. Moreover, the DSSC with the paper electrode featuring the GD/PEDOT:PSS composite did not fail in photovoltaic tests even after bending the electrode 150 times, whereas the device made with the Pt-based paper electrode decreased in efficiency by 45% after such manipulation. These exceptional properties make the metal-free GD/PEDOT:PSS composite ink a promising electrode material for a wide variety of flexible electronic applications.

Scrutinizing Defects and Defect Density of Selenium‐Doped Graphene for High‐Efficiency Triiodide Reduction in Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells

“…It is notable that the dummy cell constructed using SeG-900 displayed as maller R ct (0.5 W cm 2 )t han that of the cell with Pt (1.1 W cm 2 ), suggesting the superior catalytic activity of SeG-900 in the I 3 À reduction. Therelatively low R ct values of SeG-900 are beneficial for charge collection from the external circuit and minimizing the charge loss at the electrode/electrolyte interface.I np rinciple, R ct is inversely proportional to J 0 obtained from the Tafel plots according to J 0 = RT/(nFR ct ), [16] where R is the gas constant, and T is the temperature.C onsequently, J 0 for the SeG-900 CE was calculated to be larger than that for Pt, which agreed well with the results from the Tafel polarization study described above.Furthermore,itis clearly shown that, after 10 times of sequential scanning of EIS ( Supporting Information, Figure S9), the R ct of SeG-900 does not change noticeably (Supporting Information, Table S4), implying its robust electrochemical stability.…”

“…These results,s imilar to those of SeG samples,c an be attributed to the different defect densities in SSG samples affected by the annealing temperature.T of urther understand the higher catalytic activity of Se-G-900 compared to that of Pt reference,corresponding reaction kinetics of the I 3 À reduction were studied. Therelatively low R ct values of SeG-900 are beneficial for charge collection from the external circuit and minimizing the charge loss at the electrode/electrolyte interface.I np rinciple, R ct is inversely proportional to J 0 obtained from the Tafel plots according to J 0 = RT/(nFR ct ), [16] where R is the gas constant, and T is the temperature.C onsequently, J 0 for the SeG-900 CE was calculated to be larger than that for Pt, which agreed well with the results from the Tafel polarization study described above.Furthermore,itis clearly shown that, after 10 times of sequential scanning of EIS ( Supporting Information, Figure S9), the R ct of SeG-900 does not change noticeably (Supporting Information, Table S4), implying its robust electrochemical stability. Fort he SeG-900 CE, the D of I 3 À was 2.35 10 À4 cm À2 s À1 based on the CV curve measured at 5mVs À1 ,w hich is larger than that of the Pt reference (D = 1.15 10 À4 cm À2 s À1 ), reflecting the better catalytic activity of SeG-900.…”

Flexible Electronics Based on Micro/Nanostructured Paper

“…Owing to their inherent merits of high energy density, electrical and optical stability, environmental friendliness, and great flexibility, a variety of conducting polymers, including polyacetylene (PA), PEDOT, PPy, polythiophene (PTh), polyaniline (PANI), and their derivatives, have been extensively investigated as electrocatalysts, photocatalysts, and energy‐storage materials. Due to the continuous overlap of π‐orbitals along the polymer backbone, the π‐electrons are delocalized and show high mobility, giving the conjugated polymers electrical conductivity properties ranging from that of semiconductors (10 −8 S cm −1 ) to metals (10 5 S cm −1 ) . Hence, both academia and industry have paid significant attentions to this field for the sake of both fundamental research as well as its broad application prospects .…”

“…Such flexible, lightweight energy storage equipment is likely to gain more popularity in the near future for various applications in which embedded flexible power sources are essential, such as identification tags, functional packaging, and wearable devices. Recently, a metal‐free composite ink containing graphene dots and polystyrene sulfonate‐doped poly‐3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene (PEDOT:PSS) was developed and employed on paper to create a counter electrode for a portable energy device . Since the as‐prepared materials effectively fill into the porous structure of the paper substrate, carrier transport at the electrodes and the cell efficiency were greatly enhanced.…”

On-Demand Micro-Power Generation from an Origami-Inspired Paper Biobattery Stack

“…Conducting polymers such as poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) have been widely used to fabricate conducting papers, as they possess controllable electrical conductivity ranging from semiconductors to metals [32]. Many studies demonstrated that the conductivity of the PEDOT:PSS can be substantially improved by mixing it with other solvents such as dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and ethylene glycol (EG) [27][28][29]33].…”