N-doped graphene nanoribbons as efficient metal-free counter electrodes for disulfide/thiolate redox mediated DSSCs

Abstract

Nitrogen-doped graphene nanoribbons (N-GNRs) were prepared by thermal treatment of the as-zipped graphene oxide nanoribbons in NH₃ gas. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements revealed a high nitrogen content up to 6.5 atom% for the as-prepared N-GNRs. This, together with the high Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area of about 751 cm² g⁻¹, prompted us to use the N-GNR as the first low-cost, metal-free counter electrode for disulfide/thiolate redox mediated dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Compared with the widely-used platinum electrode, the newly-developed N-GNR counter electrode showed a dramatically improved power conversion efficiency for DSSCs based on the thiolate/disulfide redox shuttle. The observed superior cell performance was attributed to the enhanced charge transfer capability and electrocatalytic activity induced by N-doping of the graphene nanoribbon.