Effect of polyethylene glycol in graphene quantum dots for dye-sensitized solar cell

This study aims to explore the optical, structural, and chemical characteristics of polyethylene glycol (PEG) on graphene quantum dots (GQDs) for use in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Although GQDs have the potential to enhance photon absorption in DSSCs, direct contact with the dye can lead to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inPolymer bulletin (Berlin, Germany) Vol. 81; no. 12; pp. 10885 - 10896
Main Authors Manap, Abreeza, Mahalingam, Savisha, Rabeya, Ramisha, Lau, Kam Sheng, Chia, Chin Hua, Liew, Pay Jun
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.08.2024
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects
Carbon
Characterization and Evaluation of Materials
Chemical bonds
Chemistry
Chemistry and Materials Science
Complex Fluids and Microfluidics
Dye-sensitized solar cells
Dyes
Electrodes
Electromagnetic absorption
Energy conversion efficiency
Fourier transforms
Functional groups
Graphene
Light
Optical properties
Organic Chemistry
Original Paper
Particle size
Performance degradation
Photon absorption
Physical Chemistry
Polyethylene glycol
Polymer Sciences
Quantum dots
Soft and Granular Matter
Solar energy
Dye-sensitized solar cell
Polyethylene glycol
Graphene quantum dots
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Summary:This study aims to explore the optical, structural, and chemical characteristics of polyethylene glycol (PEG) on graphene quantum dots (GQDs) for use in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Although GQDs have the potential to enhance photon absorption in DSSCs, direct contact with the dye can lead to the degradation of GQD properties and reduced DSSC performance. To address this issue, PEG was applied as a passivation layer on GQDs co-sensitized with N719 dye, resulting in improved DSSC efficiency. The PEG-GQDs produced enhanced blue luminescence and good ultraviolet-to-visible light absorption with minimum structural defects confirmed by the Raman results. PEG also functions as a linker, facilitating the effective attachment of GQDs and dye. The nonpolar pro-oil groups on the GQD surface are adsorbed through coordination bond exchange (–OH functional group of the GQD), allowing for good dye permeability. The DSSC based on GQDs achieved a lower power conversion efficiency (0.93%) compared to the DSSC based on PEG-GQDs (1.27%). Graphical abstract
ISSN:0170-0839
1436-2449
DOI:10.1007/s00289-024-05222-z