Electrochemical Fingerprint of CuS-Hexagonal Chemistry from (Bis(N-1,4-Phenyl-N-(4-Morpholinedithiocarbamato) Copper(II) Complexes) as Photon Absorber in Quantum-Dot/Dye-Sensitised Solar Cells

Abstract

The main deficit of quantum dot/dye-sensitised solar cells (QDSSCs) remains the absence of a photosensitiser that can absorb the entire visible spectrum and increase electrocatalytic activity by enhancing the conversion efficiency of QDSSCs. This placed great emphasis on the synthesis route adopted for the preparation of the sensitiser. Herein, we report the fabrication of hexagonal copper monosulfide (CuS) nanocrystals, both hexadecylamine (HDA) capped and uncapped, through thermal decomposition by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and a single-source precursor route. Morphological, structural, and electrochemical instruments were used to assert the properties of both materials. The CuS/HDA photosensitiser demonstrated an appropriate lifetime and electron transfer, while the electron back reaction of CuS lowered the electron lifetime in the QDSSCs. The higher electrocatalytic activity and interfacial resistance observed from current density-voltage (I-V) results agreed with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) results for CuS/HDA. The successful fabrication of hexagonal CuS nanostructures of interesting conversion output suggested that both HDA capped and uncapped nanocrystals could be adopted in photovoltaic cells.

Tumor Microenvironment-Modulated Nanozymes for NIR-II-Triggered Hyperthermia-Enhanced Photo-Nanocatalytic Therapy via Disrupting ROS Homeostasis

“…These peaks were related to lattice planes of (100), ( 103), ( 105), ( 106), (008), and (110) as the covellite CuS phase (JCPDS file: 06-0464). [43][44][45] The results were consistent with a selected area electron diffraction (SAED) pattern (103, 105, and 008) (Figure S3). The analysis of EDS confirmed that S and Cu had a coinciding distribution and the molar ratio of S/Cu obtained from quantitative analysis was ~2:3 (Figure 2E).…”

Colloidal Synthesis and Characterization of Molybdenum Chalcogenide Quantum Dots Using a Two-Source Precursor Pathway for Photovoltaic Applications

“…MoS 2 exhibited the lowest PCE; this was due to the nanoparticles having a higher charge transfer resistance, which resulted in the limitation of electron transfer, subsequently resulting in low electron–hole recombination, hence, in limited efficiency [ 22 ]. Low efficiency might be due to the increased surface area and thickness on the photoanode which results in charge transfer resistance [ 23 , 24 ]. Furthermore, according to the chemical composition of the samples, the fill factor (FF) was used to determine the quality of the fabricated QDSSCs.…”

“…The synthesis procedure for ligands and complexes conducted in this work was adopted and modified from the literature and the experiments conducted by Mbese et al, Agoro et al, Meyer et al [ 24 , 25 , 26 ], as well as Halimehjane [ 27 ]. As an example, to explain the synthesis process, the procedure utilized to synthesize MoS 2 was explained.…”

Proficient One-Step Heat-Up Synthesis of Manganese Sulfide Quantum Dots for Solar Cell Applications

“…A single-source method produces high-purity and cost-effective materials by incorporating the required elements into one compound [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. This approach involves a simple decomposition of the molecular precursor, usually dithiocarbamate metal complexes, in an inert environment to the desired temperature [ 19 , 20 , 21 ]. Such approaches have been employed for the formation of metal oxides and metal chalcogenides with various morphologies for different nanomaterials, such as nanofabrics, nanodiscs, nanorods, nanospheres and nanowires [ 22 , 23 ].…”