CuO and CuO/Graphene Nanostructured Thin Films as Counter Electrodes for Pt-Free Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Abstract

Abstract:Copper oxide (CuO) and CuO/graphene nanostructured thin films were used as counter electrodes (CEs) for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). CuO and CuO/graphene pastes were prepared and coated on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrates using a doctor-blade coating method. The substrates were then sintered at 350 • C for 30 min to form CuO and CuO/graphene nanostructures. The material properties of the CuO and CuO/graphene CEs were analyzed using a scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, energy-dispersive spectrometer, thermogravimetric analysis instrument, X-ray diffractometer, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectrometer, ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer, and cyclic voltammetry instrument. The CuO and CuO/graphene CEs were used to fabricate DSSCs, and the device characteristics were analyzed using current density-voltage, incident photo-to-current conversion efficiency, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements. The results showed that when CuO and CuO/graphene were used as the CEs, the device conversion efficiencies were 2.73% and 3.40%, respectively. CuO is a favorable replacement for expensive platinum (Pt) because it features a simple fabrication process and is inexpensive and abundant. Furthermore, graphene, which exhibits high carrier mobility, may be added to enhance the electrical and catalytic abilities of CuO/graphene CEs. This is the first study to examine the use of CuO and CuO/graphene for developing Pt-free CEs in DSSCs.

The Use of Copper Oxide Thin Films in Gas-Sensing Applications

“…Recently, CuO was modified by Au [22], Fe [23], Li [23,24], Na [24], Pd [25], Pt [26], Px (Piroxicam) [27], Ag [28], Cr [28], Sb [28], and Si [28]. Various techniques have been studied to deposit CuO ( Figure 2), for example: magnetron sputtering [22,[28][29][30][31][32], sol-gel [33], thermal oxidation [14,34], hydrothermal techniques [4,5,15,20,21,[35][36][37], hydrothermal techniques with the electrospinning method [38,39], the spray pyrolysis technique [40], the microwave-assisted method [41], electron beam irradiation [42], microplasma synthesis [43], and successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) [44]. In [28], the author presented M-doped CuO-based thin film deposited using magnetron sputtering technology, which is a typical physical vapor deposition (PVD) technique.…”

“…It is a less expensive technology than rare materials used in gas-sensing applications [3]. Therefore, it has been utilized in various applications, including: solar energy cells [4], optoelectronics [5], catalysis [6][7][8], biosensors [9][10][11][12][13], photoelectrochemical sensors [14,15], supercapacitors [16], lithium ion batteries [17,18], infrared photo detectors [19], electrochemical sensors [20,21], and gas sensors. Figure 1b shows the number of papers published from 1995 to now, where CuO was studied.…”

Photocatalytic and Electrocatalytic Properties of Cu-Loaded ZIF-67-Derivatized Bean Sprout-Like Co-TiO2/Ti Nanostructures

“…However, interestingly, the A 1g mode at 689 cm −1 was substantially increased relative to the other Raman peaks. Furthermore, in the normalized Raman peaks of ZIF-67/Ti (red line) and Cu (960 s)-Co-TiO 2 /Ti (green line) samples ( Figure 5 b), the A 1g mode became substantially enhanced after Cu deposition for 960 s. The Raman peaks for the Cu species were not clearly detected [ 44 , 45 ]. As depicted in Figure 5 c, it may appear that Ti 3 O was formed at the interface of Ti and TiO 2 , and Co 3 O 4 was grown as a head during thermal deposition of ZIF-67, as discussed in Figure 1 b above.…”

Synthesis and Characterization of Cu-Incorporated Zinc Tin Zorcinate Thin Film as a Promising Candidate as Absorber Layer in DSSC

“…In [21], the photovoltaic and electrochemical properties of copper oxide (CuO) and graphene nanostructured copper oxide as CE coated on FTO were investigated. In [22] investigated two different phases of SnO2 as a CE.…”