Synthesis of BaTiO3 Via Microwave Method and Applicatıon of PANI/BaTiO3 Nanocomposite as Counter Electrode in High Performance Dye Sensitized Solar Cell

Abstract

The development of the Dye sensitized Solar Cell (DSSC) architecture has opened the door to exciting new possibilities and photovoltaic (PV) systems to produce electricity at potentially lower costs. Therefore, DSSCs attract the attention of both researchers working in the energy field and the PV industry. Due to their low material cost, easy and inexpensive production processes and reasonable conversion efficiency, DSSCs are considered as an alternative to other conventional solar cells. In this work, BaTiO3 nanoparticles were produced quickly and at low cost using the microwave method. Using the obtained BaTiO3, Poly aniline (PANI)/BaTiO3 nanocomposites were successfully sensitized and their usability as counter electrodes in DSSC was investigated. The coated PANI and nanocomposite films were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Cyclic Voltammetry (CV), and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) measurements. It was used as a counter electrode (CE) in DSSC architecture to characterize the photovoltaic potentials of the obtained nanocomposite films. In photovoltaic analysis, the conversion efficiency of DSSC using nanocomposite CE increased by 39% compared to cells employing pure PANI CE. As a result, it has been determined that synthesized nanocomposites can be used as CE in DSSCs instead of Pt, which is expensive and has limited stock in terms of both cost and durability and photovoltaic performance.