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Time-Optimized Hydrothermal Synthesis of Nano-WO3 for Application as Counter Electrode in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell

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Abstract

Developing a non-platinum (Pt) counter electrode (CE) in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) gained widespread consideration in scientific research. The counter electrode substitutes for Pt should exhibit enhanced conductivity and electrocatalytic nature. In the current work, tungsten trioxide (WO3) has been employed as CE in DSSC considering its wide bandgap and n-type property to replace the expensive Pt catalyst for triiodide reduction. Nano-tungsten trioxide (WO3) was synthesized using sodium tungstate dihydrate (Na2WO4∙2H2O) and sodium chloride (NaCl) in an acidic media by a time-optimized hydrothermal route in an autoclave at 200 °C. Physical characterizations of Nano-WO3 were investigated using FESEM, EDS, FTIR spectroscopy and XRD. The impedance and Tafel polarization curve studies suggest that WO3 synthesized after 5 h exhibits lower interfacial charge transfer resistance (Rct) and higher exchange current density (Jo) which confirms better activity of the same compared to others. The DSSC assembled with WO3 as CE gives a short-circuit current density (Jsc) of 17.01 mA cm−2, open-circuit voltage (Voc) of 0.69 V and, a power conversion efficiency (η) of 5.13%. The results suggest that Nano-WO3 can be considered as a potential candidate to substitute platinum.

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  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Calicut, Kozhikode, India

    Aswathy Asok & Haribabu Krishnan

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Asok, A., Krishnan, H. Time-Optimized Hydrothermal Synthesis of Nano-WO3 for Application as Counter Electrode in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell. Arab J Sci Eng 48, 15769–15776 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-021-05556-0

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