Facile synthesis of MoS2/graphene nanocomposite with high catalytic activity toward triiodide reduction in dye-sensitized solar cells

Chia-Jui Liu; Sheng-Yen Tai; Shu-Wei Chou; Ya-Chu Yu; Kai-Di Chang; Shuei Wang; Forest Shih-Sen Chien; Jeng-Yu Lin; Tsung-Wu Lin

doi:10.1039/C2JM33679K

Facile synthesis of MoS₂/graphene nanocomposite with high catalytic activity toward triiodide reduction in dye-sensitized solar cells†

Chia-Jui Liu,‡^a Sheng-Yen Tai,‡^b Shu-Wei Chou,^b Ya-Chu Yu,^a Kai-Di Chang,^a Shuei Wang,^c Forest Shih-Sen Chien,^c Jeng-Yu Lin*^b and Tsung-Wu Lin*^a

Author affiliations

* Corresponding authors

^a Dept. of Chemistry, Tunghai University, No. 181, Sec. 3, Taichung Port Rd., Taichung City 40704, Taiwan
E-mail: twlin@thu.edu.tw

^b Dept. of Chemical Engineering, Tatung University, No. 40, Sec. 3, Chungshan North Rd., Taipei City 104, Taiwan
E-mail: jylin@ttu.edu.tw
Fax: +886-225861939

^c Dept. of Physics, Tunghai University, No. 181, Sec. 3, Taichung Port Rd., Taichung City 40704, Taiwan
E-mail: fsschien@thu.edu.tw

Abstract

In the current study, a nanocomposite of molybdenum disulfide and graphene (MoS₂/RGO) was proposed for the first time as the counter electrode (CE) catalyst in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) to speed up the reduction of triiodide (I₃⁻) to iodide (I⁻). This novel catalyst was synthesized by simply mixing graphene oxide nanosheets with a solution of ammonium tetrathiomolybdate and then converting the solid intermediate into MoS₂/RGO nanocomposite in a H₂ flow at 650 °C. Atomic force microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy confirmed that MoS₂ nanoparticles were deposited onto the graphene surface. The extensive cyclic voltammograms (CV) showed that the cathodic current density of the MoS₂/RGO CE was higher than those of MoS₂, RGO and sputtered Pt CEs, due to the increased active surface area of the former. Moreover, the peak current densities of the MoS₂/RGO CE showed no sign of degradation after 100 consecutive CV tests, suggesting the great electrochemical stability of the MoS₂/RGO CE. Furthermore, the MoS₂/RGO CE demonstrated an impressively low charge-transfer resistance (0.57 Ω cm²) for I₃⁻ reduction. Finally, the DSSC assembled with the MoS₂/RGO CE showed a high power conversion efficiency of 6.04%, which is comparable to the DSSC with a Pt CE (6.38%).

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Article information

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/C2JM33679K
Article type: Paper
Submitted: 07 Jun 2012
Accepted: 15 Aug 2012
First published: 04 Sep 2012

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J. Mater. Chem., 2012,22, 21057-21064

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Facile synthesis of MoS₂/graphene nanocomposite with high catalytic activity toward triiodide reduction in dye-sensitized solar cells

C. Liu, S. Tai, S. Chou, Y. Yu, K. Chang, S. Wang, F. S. Chien, J. Lin and T. Lin, J. Mater. Chem., 2012, 22, 21057 DOI: 10.1039/C2JM33679K

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