Enhancement of photovoltaic performance of dye-sensitized solar cells based on TiO₂-graphene quantum dots photoanode

Abstract

In this work, optimization of the TiO2 photoanode by graphene quantum dots (GQDs) in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) is studied. Raman and TEM analysis are confirmed characterization and structural properties of GQDs. To investigate the effect of GQDs on the properties of the DSSCs, GQDs are prepared by various concentrations. The studies indicate that by increasing the concentration of GQDs, the optical absorption in graphene quantum dots will increase which can result improvement of the DSSC properties. Results show that the current density of is obtained for a fabricated DSSC. The maximum current density obtained for the optimal DSSC is mainly attributed to the remarkable light absorption of GQDs and separation of the electron-hole along with the injection of excited electrons from GQDs into the TiO2 layer. This study indicates that DSSCs properties are improved by introducing GQDs and moreover importantly reduced the amount of dye used in the fabrication of the DSSCs.