title: Incorporation of graphenes in nanostructured TiO(2) films via molecular grafting for dye-sensitized solar cell application.
abstract: This paper presents a systematic investigation on the incorporation of chemical exfoliation graphene sheets (GS) in TiO(2) nanoparticle films via a molecular grafting method for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). By controlling the oxidation time in the chemical exfoliation process, both high conductivity of reduced GS and good attachment of TiO(2) nanoparticles on the GS were achieved. Uniform GS/TiO(2) composite films with large areas on conductive glass were prepared by electrophoretic deposition, and the incorporation of GS significantly improved the conductivity of the TiO(2) nanoparticle film by more than 2 orders of magnitude. Moreover, the power conversion efficiency for DSSC based on GS/TiO(2) composite films is more than 5 times higher than that based on TiO(2) alone, indicating that the incorporation of GS is an efficient means for enhancing the photovoltaic (PV) performance. The better PV performance of GS/TiO(2) DSSC is also attributed to the better dye loading of GS/TiO(2) film than that of TiO(2) film. The effect of GS content on the PV performances was also investigated. It was found that the power conversion efficiency increased first and then decreased with the increasing of GS concentration due to the decrease in the transmittance at high GS content. Further improvements can be expected by fully optimizing fabrication conditions and device configuration, such as increasing dye loading via thicker films. The present synthetic strategy is expected to lead to a family of composites with designed properties.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM) and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yong-Bing
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Chun-Sing
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Zeng-Tao
authors.initials: ZT
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Zhen-Hua
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Zhubing
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Yu-Lin
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Guodong
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Haisheng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Limiao
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Linbao
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Hui-Ming
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Wen-Jun
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bello
authors.forename: Shuit-Tong
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000737:chemistry; D003460:Crystallization / Q000379:methods; D011211:Electric Power Supplies; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D006108:Graphite / Q000737:chemistry*; D046911:Macromolecular Substances / Q000737:chemistry; D008422:Materials Testing; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D010316:Particle Size; D012993:Solar Energy; D013499:Surface Properties; D014025:Titanium / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; C009495:titanium dioxide; D006108:Graphite; D014025:Titanium