Recent advances in graphene-based materials for dye-sensitized solar cell fabrication
Edigar Muchuweni, Bice S. Martincigh, Vincent O. Nyamori
Abstract
, transparent conducting electrodes, semiconducting layers and dye-sensitizers, electrolytes and counter electrodes in DSSCs. Recently, the introduction of graphene-based materials into DSSCs resulted in a pronounced increase in PCE from ∼0.13 to above 12.00%. Thus, employing the recent breakthroughs can further improve the optoelectronic properties of the various DSSC components and, hence, close the gap between DSSCs and their silicon-based counterparts that are currently exhibiting desirable PCEs of above 26%. Therefore, this review focuses on the recent applications of graphene-based materials as photoanodes, electrolytes and counter electrodes, for the possible fabrication of all-carbon-based DSSCs. The limitations, merits and future prospects of graphene-based DSSCs are discussed, so as to improve their photovoltaic performance, sustainability and cost-effectiveness.