Emulsion-assisted polyaniline grown on molybdenum diselenide nanoflowers for efficient counter electrode application in dye-sensitized solar cells

ABSTRACT

Molybdenum diselenide (MoSe₂) is often composed with conducting polymers like polyaniline (PANI) to lower the stacking and increase the active sites for catalysis. The method of polymerization and the concentration of monomer play a significant role in the growth of PANI nanostructures over the MoSe₂ surface. Here, MoSe₂-PANI nanocomposites have been synthesized with different molar concentrations of the monomer in the emulsion of chloroform and distilled water using ammonium persulfate (APS) as the initiator. The increased surface area of the composite MPAN (1:1) compared to pristine MoSe2, as observed from the FESEM and BET study, is fruitful for counter-electrode application in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). The lower Rct values for the MPAN (1:1) and increased current in cyclic voltammetry further approved the suitability of the MoSe₂-PANI as a counter electrocatalyst. The counter electrodes against N719 dye-sensitized TiO₂ photoanode in DSSC yielded the best results for MPAN (1:1), generating an efficiency of 6.45%.

KEYWORDS:

• Emulsion polymerization
• dye-sensitized solar cells
• MoSe₂-polymer composite
• counter electrode application
• solar cell characterization

Acknowledgements

We thank Netaji Subhas University of Technology (N.S.U.T), erstwhile N.S.I.T, Dwarka, New Delhi, India, for the laboratory facilities and financial assistance. We also thank M.N.I.T Jaipur, Jaipur, and Sprint Testing Solution, Mumbai, for the characterization support.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/15567036.2023.2277359.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ankita Singh

Dr. Ankita Singh completed her Ph.D. from the University of Delhi and is currently serving as a guest lecturer in the Department of Chemistry, Netaji Subhas University of Technology. Her primary areas of interest include two-dimensional material and their polymer composites for electrocatalysis and photocatalysis applications.

Deepak Poddar

Dr. Deepak Poddar completed his Ph.D. from the University of Delhi and is currently working as a research associate in the Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Delhi. Dr. Poddar has a primary interest in biopolymers and their utility for tissue engineering applications and packaging materials.

Sanjeeve Thakur

Prof. Sanjeeve Thakur currently serves as Professor & Dean in the Department of Chemistry, NSUT. He is a life member of five learned societies, viz. Indian Science Congress, Indian Chemical Society, National Academy of Sciences, Indian Council of Chemists and Indian Society of Analytical Scientists, BARC. He has supervised many Masters and Doctorate Students and has published many research articles in esteemed journals.