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ARTICLE

Nanocomposites of reduced graphen oxideand cadimium sulfide(rGO/CdS) as affective photoanode for dye sentisized solar cells(DSSCs) by doctor blade deposition technique

Z. J. Kadhim^a, O. A. Hatem^b,*, D. M. Al Khafaf^c

a Department of Chemistry, College of Education, University of AL-Qadisiyah, Iraq
b Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of AL-Qadisiyah, Iraq
c College of Science, Al-Mustaqbal University, Babylon, Iraq

* Corresponding Author:

Chalcogenide Letters 2024, 21(11), 945-952. https://doi.org/10.15251/CL.2024.2111.945

Received 15 August 2022; Accepted 20 November 2024;

Abstract

The synthesis and characterization of reduced graphene oxide/cadmium sulfide (rGO/CdS) are the primary topics covered in this paper. The construction of a photoanode in dyesensitized solar cells (DSSCs) using synthetic materials is subsequently proposed. Here, graphene oxide (GO) was synthesized using the Hummer's method, and green tea leaves were employed to reduce GO. The rGO/CdS nanocomposites were prepared using a hydrothermal method. A photoanode was fabricated from the as-prepared rGO/CdS nanocomposite paste using doctor blade deposition techniques.
The performance of the fabricated DSSCs was evaluated using current density-voltage (JV) curves. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy were employed to confirm the characterization of the CdS nanoparticles and rGO/CdS nanocomposites. The characterization results revealed that the hydrothermal method produced well-defined, spherical CdS nanoparticles with an average diameter of 45 nm, which were successfully decorated on the rGO sheets.
To construct dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), Congo red dye and natural dye from roselle flowers were used as photosensitizers. The photovoltaic performance of the DSSCs was assessed under a 55 W HID Xenon light source. The sensitized solar cell (RCR) made with the roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) extract achieved short-circuit current densities (Jsc) of 3.377 mA/cm^², open-circuit voltages (Voc) of 735 mV, fill factors (FF) of 0.169, and total solar energy conversion efficiencies (η) of 0.645%.
In comparison, the Congo red dye-sensitized cell (RCC) produced Jsc values of 1.789 mA/cm^², Voc values of 250 mV, FF values of 0.202, and a conversion efficiency of 0.0362%. The roselle extract-sensitized cell demonstrated superior sensitization, consistent with the extract's broad spectrum of absorption on the rGO/CdS surface.

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