Karafan Journal

Karafan Journal

Investigation of the Utilization of ZrO2/WO2NR Nanocomposite on the Performance of Dye-sensitized Solar Cells Based on Semi-solid State Electrolyte of Cesium Tin Iodide (III)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Mahsa Mahdavinia 1
Gholamreza Kiani 2
Ayub Karimzad Ghavidel 3
1 PhD Student, Department of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran.
2 Associate Professor, Department of Organic and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran.
3 Faculty Member, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Technical and Vocational University (TVU), Tehran, Iran.
10.48301/kssa.2022.342721.2128
Abstract
The aim of this research is to design and fabricate a natural dye-sensitized solar cell using a semi-solid electrolyte and substituting a platinum electrode with Zirconium oxide/Tungsten oxide nanorods (ZrO2/WO2NR) nanocomposite for reducing the costs. To prepare the semi-solid electrolyte, a combination of three substances, cesium iodide (CsI), tin iodide (SnI) and tin fluoride (SnF2) were used. The result of this compound is cesium tin iodide (CsSnI3-xFx), which due to the high mobility of the cavity equal to 585 cm2V-1S-1 and the ability to dissolve in organic solvents, can be a good alternative to liquid electrolyte replacement. The photoanode structure was examined by scanning electron microscopy. The effect of black and simple henna was investigated by UV-visible spectroscopy to select the dye. The counter electrode was fabricated by ZrO2/WO2NR nanocomposite by micro-spray method. The results showed that natural henna dye offers better performance with the peak absorption at 665 nm. The utilization of ZrO2/WO2NR nanocomposite, in addition to good catalytic properties, also showed a voltammetric cycle similar to platinum, which results in longer life and stabilization of output power over the time. The performance evaluation of the fabricated sample indicated the open circuit voltage of 0.17 V, the short circuit current of 4.08 mA and the efficiency of 0.95%, which is 2 times higher than in comparison with liquid electrolyte-based cells.
Keywords
Dye-sensitized Solar Cell
Semi-solid Electrolyte
Zirconium Oxide/Tungsten Nanorods Nanocomposite
Henna
Cesium tin Iodide
Subjects
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Karafan Journal
Volume 20, Issue 1 - Serial Number 61
Technical & Engineering
Spring 2023
Pages 301-319

  • Receive Date 28 May 2022
  • Revise Date 23 November 2022
  • Accept Date 18 December 2022