Charge transfer and surface morphology analysis of heteroatom-doped activated carbon for dye-sensitized solar cells

IF 4.2 3区 工程技术 Q2 CHEMISTRY, APPLIED
Necip Ali Tuna , Adem Mutlu , I. Isil Gurten Inal , Esra Yıldız
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Abstract

This study explores the feasibility of heteroatom-doped activated carbon (Ac) as a low-cost substitute for platinum (Pt) counter electrode (CE) in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Ac was doped with nitrogen (N), sulfur (S), and phosphorus (P), both individually and in combination (S-N-P), to examine their effects on Ac structure, electrochemical behavior, and DSSC performance. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) demonstrated notable micromorphological changes due to doping, influencing porous structure and surface uniformity. While undoped Ac exhibited a rough and irregular microstructure, N-doping reduced surface roughness and irregularity, leading to a more ordered porous structure. However, it also increased charge transfer resistance due to the formation of larger pores, ultimately resulting in lower efficiency. P-doping introduced structural disorder, further elevating charge transfer resistance and shortening electron lifetime, resulting in the lowest DSSC power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 0.9 %. In contrast, S-doping produced a more compact structure with enhanced electrocatalytic activity, improving PCE (3.2 %). The best performance was observed in S-N-P co-doped Ac, which achieved a PCE of 5.0 %, approaching that of Pt (6.6 %), due to reduced charge transfer resistance (R1 = 6.5 Ω). Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) confirmed that lower charge transfer resistance correlates with higher DSSC performance. Raman and XPS analyses further supported this result by confirming balanced defect density and rich surface functionalization in the S-N-P co-doped Ac. The research demonstrates the potential of multi-heteroatom doping of Ac for developing scalable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly alternatives to platinum for DSSC applications.
染料敏化太阳能电池杂原子掺杂活性炭的电荷转移及表面形貌分析
本研究探讨了杂原子掺杂活性炭(Ac)作为染料敏化太阳能电池(DSSCs)中铂(Pt)对电极(CE)的低成本替代品的可行性。在Ac中分别掺杂氮(N)、硫(S)和磷(P) (S-N-P),考察其对Ac结构、电化学行为和DSSC性能的影响。扫描电子显微镜(SEM)显示,掺杂导致了明显的微观形态变化,影响了多孔结构和表面均匀性。而未掺杂的Ac表现出粗糙和不规则的微观结构,n掺杂降低了表面粗糙度和不规则性,导致更有序的多孔结构。然而,由于形成较大的孔隙,也增加了电荷传递阻力,最终导致效率降低。p掺杂导致结构紊乱,进一步提高电荷转移电阻,缩短电子寿命,导致DSSC功率转换效率(PCE)最低,为0.9%。相比之下,s掺杂产生了更紧凑的结构,电催化活性增强,PCE提高了3.2%。在S-N-P共掺杂Ac中,由于降低了电荷转移电阻(R1 = 6.5 Ω),其PCE达到5.0%,接近Pt(6.6%)。电化学阻抗谱(EIS)证实了较低的电荷转移电阻与较高的DSSC性能相关。拉曼和XPS分析进一步证实了S-N-P共掺杂Ac中平衡的缺陷密度和丰富的表面功能化,从而支持了这一结果。研究表明,Ac的多杂原子掺杂在DSSC应用中具有开发可扩展、可持续和环保的铂替代品的潜力。
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来源期刊
Dyes and Pigments
Dyes and Pigments 工程技术-材料科学:纺织
CiteScore
8.20
自引率
13.30%
发文量
933
审稿时长
33 days
期刊介绍: Dyes and Pigments covers the scientific and technical aspects of the chemistry and physics of dyes, pigments and their intermediates. Emphasis is placed on the properties of the colouring matters themselves rather than on their applications or the system in which they may be applied. Thus the journal accepts research and review papers on the synthesis of dyes, pigments and intermediates, their physical or chemical properties, e.g. spectroscopic, surface, solution or solid state characteristics, the physical aspects of their preparation, e.g. precipitation, nucleation and growth, crystal formation, liquid crystalline characteristics, their photochemical, ecological or biological properties and the relationship between colour and chemical constitution. However, papers are considered which deal with the more fundamental aspects of colourant application and of the interactions of colourants with substrates or media. The journal will interest a wide variety of workers in a range of disciplines whose work involves dyes, pigments and their intermediates, and provides a platform for investigators with common interests but diverse fields of activity such as cosmetics, reprographics, dye and pigment synthesis, medical research, polymers, etc.
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