The double perovskite structure effect of a novel La2CuNiO6-ZnSe-graphene nanocatalytic composite for dye sensitized solar cells as a freestanding counter electrode

Abstract

Currently, the development of sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) with high power conversion efficiency and low cost is a major challenge in the academic and industrial fields. In order to enhance the current efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), a perovskite graphene-La₂CuNiO₆-ZnSe (G-LCN-ZS) as a counter electrode (CE) was introduced in this study via a conventional microwave treatment. A DSSC with 15% G-LCN-ZS CE achieved a high-power conversion efficiency up to 11.05% under AM 1.5G solar simulation, which is one of the highest reported efficiencies for ternary oxide-based graphene DSSCs. The G-LCN-ZS CE nanocomposites exhibit excellent catalytic activity towards the I₃⁻/I⁻ redox couple due to the positive synergistic effect between LCN-ZS nanoparticles and graphene sheets. Moreover, the graphene-based materials can provide a fast diffusion pathway for the electrolyte. In this paper, we have shown that alternative materials with high energy conversion efficiency can be used in future applications.