Novel gamma-irradiated chitosan-doped reduced graphene-CuInS2 composites as counter electrodes for dye-sensitized solar cells

Yonrapach Areerob; Chaowalit Hamontree; Phitchan Sricharoen; Nunticha Limchoowong; Sakchai Laksee; Won-Chun Oh; Kongsak Pattarith

doi:10.1039/D2RA01749K

Novel gamma-irradiated chitosan-doped reduced graphene-CuInS₂ composites as counter electrodes for dye-sensitized solar cells†

Yonrapach Areerob,^a Chaowalit Hamontree,^a Phitchan Sricharoen,

^b Nunticha Limchoowong,

^c Sakchai Laksee,^d Won-Chun Oh

^ef and Kongsak Pattarith

*^g

Author affiliations

* Corresponding authors

^a Department of Industrial Engineering, School of Engineering, King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Bangkok 10520, Thailand

^b Department of Premedical Science, Faculty of Medicine, Bangkokthonburi University, Thawi Watthana, Bangkok 10170, Thailand

^c Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Srinakharinwirot University, Bangkok 10110, Thailand

^d Nuclear Technology Research and Development Center, Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology (Public Organization), Nakhon Nayok 26120, Thailand

^e College of Materials Science and Engineering, Anhui University of Science & Technology, Huainan, PR China

^f Department of Advanced Materials Science & Engineering, Hanseo University, Seosan-si, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea

^g Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Buriram Rajabhat University, Buriram 31000, Thailand

Abstract

To address the issues associated with traditional counter electrodes, a novel gamma-irradiated chitosan-doped reduced graphene-CuInS₂ composite (Chi@RGO-CIS) was used as the counter electrode (CE). The system was fabricated following a simple hydrothermal method. The prepared Chi@RGO-CIS was characterized by various spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. The synergistic effect between chitosan, CuInS₂, and reduced graphene oxide can help in producing a large surface area. It can also help in the generation of catalytic sites toward I-/I₃-redox electrolytes. We used a composite (based on electrical considerations) to study the effect of the amount of graphene on the characteristics and photovoltaic efficiency of the Chi@RGO-CIS composites. The solar cell assembled with 1.5% Chi@RGO-CIS exhibited an efficiency of 12.21%. The efficiency was higher than that of a Pt-based device (9.96%) fabricated under the same conditions. Hence, Chi@RGO-CIS can be potentially used as the CE of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). It can be used as a substitute for Pt in DSSCs.

Supplementary files

Article information

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/D2RA01749K
Article type: Paper
Submitted: 17 Mar 2022
Accepted: 13 May 2022
First published: 20 May 2022
This article is Open Access

Download Citation

RSC Adv., 2022,12, 15427-15434

Permissions

Request permissions

Novel gamma-irradiated chitosan-doped reduced graphene-CuInS₂ composites as counter electrodes for dye-sensitized solar cells

Y. Areerob, C. Hamontree, P. Sricharoen, N. Limchoowong, S. Laksee, W. Oh and K. Pattarith, RSC Adv., 2022, 12, 15427 DOI: 10.1039/D2RA01749K

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications, without requesting further permission from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given and it is not used for commercial purposes.

To request permission to reproduce material from this article in a commercial publication, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party commercial publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

RSC Advances