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Iron cobalt selenide counter electrode for application in dye-sensitized solar cell: synthesis parameter, structural, electrochemical, and efficiency studies

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Abstract

This work reports on the synthesis of FeCo2Se4 from FeCo2O4 by varying the duration of the selenization process. The structure and crystallinity of the products were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD). Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analyzed the compositions of the products. The FeCo2O4 presents a thinner and smoother nanosheets structure whereas the FeCo2Se4 forms a thicker and rougher nanosheets structure. The electrocatalytic effects of FeCo2Se4 and FeCo2O4 in comparison to Pt were examined by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and further supported by Tafel polarization. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was employed to study the internal resistance and charge transfer kinetics. The FeCo2Se4 obtained after 12 h selenization treatment (FeCo2Se4) exhibits the highest electrocatalytic activity and the lowest charge transfer resistance, followed by Pt and FeCo2O4. The poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVdF-HFP)/ propylene carbonate (PC)/ 1,2-dimethoxyethane (DME)/ 1-methyl-3-propyl imidazolium iodide (MPII)/ sodium iodide (NaI)/ iodine (I2) gel polymer electrolytes were assembled into dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) with titanium oxide (TiO2) photoanode and the respective counter electrode. The respective counter electrode was FeCo2Se4, FeCo2O4, or platinum (Pt). The efficiencies attained for FeCo2Se4, FeCo2O4, and Pt counter electrodes are 8.71, 6.04, and 6.11%, respectively. Superior cell efficiency with FeCo2Se4 counter electrode can be attributed to the higher porosity, larger specific surface area, lower electron transfer resistance, and higher I3− reduction rate of FeCo2Se4.

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The raw and processed data required to reproduce the above findings cannot be shared at this time as the data also forms part of an ongoing study.

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Acknowledgements

M. Z. Najihah wishes to thank the Ministry of Education Malaysia for the MyBrainSc scholarship award.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Functional Materials and Nanotechnology, Institute of Science, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia

    M. Z. Najihah, Farish Irfal Saaid & Tan Winie

  2. Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia

    Farish Irfal Saaid & Tan Winie

  3. Physics Division, Centre for Foundation Studies in Science of Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

    I. M. Noor

  4. Centre for Ionics University of Malaya, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    H. J. Woo

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  1. M. Z. Najihah
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Contributions

M. Z. Najihah — methodology, investigation, data curation, formal analysis, original draft writing; Farish Irfal Saaid — methodology, investigation, data curation, formal analysis; I. M. Noor — conceptualization, supervision, formal analysis; H. J. Woo — resources, formal analysis; Tan Winie — conceptualization, resources, supervision, project administration, writing (review and editing).

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Correspondence to Tan Winie.

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Najihah, M.Z., Saaid, F.I., Noor, I.M. et al. Iron cobalt selenide counter electrode for application in dye-sensitized solar cell: synthesis parameter, structural, electrochemical, and efficiency studies. Ionics 30, 2939–2955 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11581-024-05462-z

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