New Flexible Electrospun PET/TiO2 Composite Photoanode Layer for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells, DSSCs, and Its Photovoltaic Performances  

作　　者：Hajer Gallah Frej Mighri Abdellah Ajji Jayita Bandyopadhyay Nouceir Ahmed Ben Ghorbel Judith Castillo-Rodriguez Hajer Gallah;Frej Mighri;Abdellah Ajji;Jayita Bandyopadhyay;Nouceir Ahmed Ben Ghorbel;Judith Castillo-Rodriguez(Research Center for High Performance Polymer and Composite Systems (CREPEC), Department of Mechanical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Canada;Department of Chemical Engineering, Laval University, Quebec, Canada;Department of Chemical Engineering, Polytechnique Montreal, Montreal, Canada;Center for Nanostructures and Advanced Materials, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa;Department of Chemistry and Biology, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Canada)

机构地区：[1]Research Center for High Performance Polymer and Composite Systems (CREPEC), Department of Mechanical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Canada [2]Department of Chemical Engineering, Laval University, Quebec, Canada [3]Department of Chemical Engineering, Polytechnique Montreal, Montreal, Canada [4]Center for Nanostructures and Advanced Materials, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa [5]Department of Chemistry and Biology, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Canada

出　　处：《Materials Sciences and Applications》2024年第11期481-503,共23页材料科学与应用期刊（英文）

摘　　要：Flexible polymer-based dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) offer promising potential for lightweight, cost-effective and versatile photovoltaic applications. However, the critical challenge in their widespread applications is the weak thermal stability of most polymeric substrates, which can only withstand a maximum temperature processing of 150˚C. In this study, a facile and low-cost strategy is proposed to develop at low temperature DSSC flexible photoanode based on a polymeric matrix. Highly porous nanocomposites fibrous mats composed of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanobars were prepared through an electrospinning process using different configurations (uniaxial electrospinning, coaxial electrospinning, and electrospray-assisted electrospinning). These techniques enabled precise control of the microstructure and the positioning of TiO2 within the composite nanofibers. Therefore, the as-produced photoanodes were loaded with N719 dye and tested in DSSC prototype using iodide-triiodide electrolyte and platinum (Pt) coated counter electrode. The results show that incorporating TiO2 on the fiber surface through the electrospray-assisted electrospinning enhanced the performance of the nanofiber composite, leading to improved dye loading capacity, electron transfer efficiency and photovoltaic performance.Flexible polymer-based dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) offer promising potential for lightweight, cost-effective and versatile photovoltaic applications. However, the critical challenge in their widespread applications is the weak thermal stability of most polymeric substrates, which can only withstand a maximum temperature processing of 150˚C. In this study, a facile and low-cost strategy is proposed to develop at low temperature DSSC flexible photoanode based on a polymeric matrix. Highly porous nanocomposites fibrous mats composed of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanobars were prepared through an electrospinning process using different configurations (uniaxial electrospinning, coaxial electrospinning, and electrospray-assisted electrospinning). These techniques enabled precise control of the microstructure and the positioning of TiO2 within the composite nanofibers. Therefore, the as-produced photoanodes were loaded with N719 dye and tested in DSSC prototype using iodide-triiodide electrolyte and platinum (Pt) coated counter electrode. The results show that incorporating TiO2 on the fiber surface through the electrospray-assisted electrospinning enhanced the performance of the nanofiber composite, leading to improved dye loading capacity, electron transfer efficiency and photovoltaic performance.

关 键 词：Electrospinning ELECTROSPRAYING Coaxial Electrospinning Nanocomposites Nanofibers Flexible DSSCs PHOTOANODE TiO2 

分 类 号：TM9[电气工程—电力电子与电力传动]