Microwave processed carbon dots and optimized gel polymer electrolyte for stable and efficient low intensity operational dye sensitized solar cell
摘要
Microwave assisted method is a fast-paced reliable route to ensure the development of high-quality Carbon Dots (CDs). In the current work, CDs derived from waste turmeric having good optical response with an average particle size of 3.5 nm were used as sensitizer in dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC). Stability to the DSSC was provided by incorporating an optimized gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) comprising of iodine redox couple in a polymer blend of PMMA and Pluronic F68. For further enhancement of performance, the DSSC was prepared by co-sensitizing it with CDs and N3 dye, which revealed an efficiency of 5.40% at 0.5 sun illumination. The device showed a reasonable stability and performance measured over a period of 500 h with encouraging efficiency under low sun conditions.