AUTHOR=Syed Noureen , Feng Yongqiang , Fahad Raja , Sahito Iftikhar Ali , Huang Jianfeng 

TITLE=Carbon nanomaterials staked with nonwoven (EG/PAN/CQDs) composite as a counter electrode for enhanced photons and photocatalytic efficiency

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Energy Research

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2022

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/energy-research/articles/10.3389/fenrg.2022.1025045

DOI=10.3389/fenrg.2022.1025045

ISSN=2296-598X

ABSTRACT=Prior studies on heavy metal heterojunction with carbon nanomaterials for dye-sensitized solar cells (D-SSCs), found that they were not only toxic, but also had poor stability and lead to a difficult synthesis. In this work, nanomaterials with flexible nonwoven sheets were employed to improve the cell efficiency and were easily synthesized with high stability, durability, wash ability, and flexibility. By incorporating Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) into the anode and counter electrodes, it is possible to boost photon efficiency by scattering the sun light and turning a huge amount into current density. Textile-based flexible (TC-DSSC) with N-doped CQDs may significantly increase solar cell efficiency. Carbon-based nanoparticle stacked with textile apparel (nonwoven bamboo) sheet, enabled the desired flexible end applications to be achieved. The prepared material significantly increased solar cell efficiency to 11.26 % compared to 8.04 % of the one without CQDs. Carbon-based nanomaterials are stacked with textile apparel (nonwoven bamboo) sheets to make them light weight, highly flexible, wearable, and user-friendly. Furthermore, compared to pure expanded graphite on the nonwoven substrate, a single electrode incorporating CQDs offered low impedance and high current/voltage. On the other hand, when tested for photocatalytic activity using Spectrophotometry, the proposed counter electrode made of expanded graphite, PAN, and CQDs loaded on nonwoven material, completely degraded the Methylene Blue dye in a very short period of time. The N-CQDs may prove to be very stable with outstanding washing endurance anchored with expanded graphite layered on a nonwoven medium with an optimum thickness.