Graphitic Carbon Nitride Hybrid Supported Metal Nanoparticles as a Novel Low-Cost Counter Electrode for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell

In the present work we apply the Graphitic carbon nitride-Graphene (Pt-GCN-G) hybrid supported Platinum (Pt) nanoparticles as a novel counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). The Pt-GCN-G hybrid is prepared by a facile method and the incorporation of Graphene layers in Graphitic carbon nitride is confirmed from various characterization techniques. The fabricated DSSC with Pt-GCN-G as counter electrode shows an enhanced power conversion efficiency of 5.2%, which is comparable to the standard Pt counter electrode (similar to 6%). The improvement in the electrocatalytic activity of the material has been studied by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance analysis. The enhancement in the performance of DSSC can be attributed to the synergic effects of GCN, Graphene and Pt nanoparticles.