Composites of Vanadium (III) Oxide (V₂O₃) Incorporating with Amorphous C as Pt-Free Counter Electrodes for Low-Cost and High-Performance Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Abstract

To replace precious Pt-based counter electrodes (CEs) with a low-cost Pt-free catalyst of CEs is still a motivating hotspot to decrease the fabrication cost of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Herein, four different V 2 O 3 @C composite catalysts were synthesized by pyrolysis of a precursor under N 2 flow at 1100 °C and further served as catalytic materials of CEs for the encapsulation of DSSCs. The precursors of V 2 O 3 @C composites have been prepared via a sol–gel method using different proportions of V 2 O 5 with soluble starch in a H 2 O 2 solution. Power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 3.59, 4.79, 5.15, and 5.06% were obtained from different V 2 O 3 @C composites, with soluble starch-to-V 2 O 5 mass ratios (S/V) of 1:2, 1:1, 2:1, and 4:1, respectively, as CEs to reduce iodide/triiodide in DSSCs. The improvement of electrode performance is due to the combined effects on the increased specific surface area and the enhanced conductivity of V 2 O 3 @C composite catalysts.

Efficient NiO Impregnated Walnut Shell-Derived Carbon for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

“…Therefore, over the past two decades, research on DSSCs has bloomed into a race to develop efficient catalytic materials as Pt-free CEs for DSSCs . As Pt-free CEs, a range of materials, including conducting polymers, transition metals, and carbon-based compounds have been used as Pt-free CEs. , Due to their large availability, chemical stability, and considerable catalytic activity, metal oxides have shown promise as effective Pt-free CEs. , P-type nickel oxide (NiO) is a well-known metal oxide that is commonly used as a catalyst in chemical and petrochemical operations . Because of its broad gap (3.6 eV) and strong ionization potential, NiO was used in producing photosensitizers .…”

Enhanced Efficiency of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Based on Polymer-Assisted Dispersion of Platinum Nanoparticles/Carbon Nanotubes Nanohybrid Films as FTO-Free Counter Electrodes

“…The main components of a typical DSSC are redox electrolytes (such as iodide/triiodide in an organic solvent), a dye-fixed photoelectrode (PE), and a counter electrode (CE) [11], where an ideal CE should have a high exchange current density and low charge transfer resistance [12]. In the past few decades, various Polymers 2021, 13, 3103 2 of 17 methods have been used to assemble DSSCs [13], for which the counter electrode is one of the key components [14]. To improve the efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells and reduce the overall cost, the counter electrode has also become the main research subject, due to its simpler manufacturing process [15,16].…”