Bi 2 S 3 can do it all: Sensitizer, counter electrode, and supercapacitor for symmetric solar cell assisted photo‐supercapacitor

International Journal of Energy ResearchEarly View RESEARCH ARTICLE Bi2S3 can do it all: Sensitizer, counter electrode, and supercapacitor for symmetric solar cell assisted photo-supercapacitor John Peter Isaqu, John Peter Isaqu Nanostructure Lab, Department of Physics, The Gandhigram Rural Institute – Deemed to be University, Gandhigram, IndiaSearch for more papers by this authorRagavendran Vnekatesan, Ragavendran Vnekatesan Departments of Materials Science, School of Chemistry, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, IndiaSearch for more papers by this authorRajamanickam Nagalingam, Rajamanickam Nagalingam Departments of Chemistry, Research Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia, Tarragona, SpainSearch for more papers by this authorJeyanthinath Mayandi, Jeyanthinath Mayandi orcid.org/0000-0002-3218-1681 Departments of Materials Science, School of Chemistry, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, IndiaSearch for more papers by this authorNithiananthi Perumal, Corresponding Author Nithiananthi Perumal nithyauniq@gmail.com orcid.org/0000-0001-7759-1513 Nanostructure Lab, Department of Physics, The Gandhigram Rural Institute – Deemed to be University, Gandhigram, India Correspondence Nithiananthi Perumal, Nanostructure Lab, Department of Physics, The Gandhigram Rural Institute – Deemed to be University, Gandhigram-624302, Tamilnadu, India. Email: nithyauniq@gmail.comSearch for more papers by this author John Peter Isaqu, John Peter Isaqu Nanostructure Lab, Department of Physics, The Gandhigram Rural Institute – Deemed to be University, Gandhigram, IndiaSearch for more papers by this authorRagavendran Vnekatesan, Ragavendran Vnekatesan Departments of Materials Science, School of Chemistry, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, IndiaSearch for more papers by this authorRajamanickam Nagalingam, Rajamanickam Nagalingam Departments of Chemistry, Research Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia, Tarragona, SpainSearch for more papers by this authorJeyanthinath Mayandi, Jeyanthinath Mayandi orcid.org/0000-0002-3218-1681 Departments of Materials Science, School of Chemistry, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, IndiaSearch for more papers by this authorNithiananthi Perumal, Corresponding Author Nithiananthi Perumal nithyauniq@gmail.com orcid.org/0000-0001-7759-1513 Nanostructure Lab, Department of Physics, The Gandhigram Rural Institute – Deemed to be University, Gandhigram, India Correspondence Nithiananthi Perumal, Nanostructure Lab, Department of Physics, The Gandhigram Rural Institute – Deemed to be University, Gandhigram-624302, Tamilnadu, India. Email: nithyauniq@gmail.comSearch for more papers by this author First published: 01 April 2022 https://doi.org/10.1002/er.7908 Funding information: Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, India, Grant/Award Number: DST INSPIRE/IF 160974 Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Summary The current research motivation is to fabricate and demonstrate Pt-free dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) at a low-cost and an electrode for supercapacitor. In this study, a well-known sensitizer in quantum dot solar cells, that is, Bi2S3 and Bi2S3/MWCNT hybrids have been synthesized and positioned as an electrocatalyst for the reduction of triiodide to iodide ( I 3 − / I − $$ {I}_3^{-}/{I}^{-} $$ ). Developed DSSC cell-based on Bi2S3/MWCNT counter electrode (CE) achieves a power conversion efficiency of 4.8%, surpassing the corresponding Bi2S3 CE (1.06%) where the efficiency of the present CE yields ~83% of the conventional Pt CE efficiency (~5.8%). In addition, a series of electrochemical investigations reveal that the Bi2S3/MWCNT outperformed the pristine Bi2S3 in terms of electroconductivity and electrocatalytic behavior. This mixture is also favorable for supercapacitors and Bi2S3/MWCNT has the maximum specific capacity of 133 F g−1 with 1 A g−1 in 0.5 M of Na2SO4 with the acceptable capacitance retention of around 80% for 3000 cycles and excellent rate capability (48 F g−1 at 5 A g−1). Besides, the symmetric cell, that is, TiO2/Bi2S3/( I 3 − / I − $$ {I}_3^{-}/{I}^{-} $$ )/Bi2S3 has been manufactured and tested successfully. Thus, Bi2S3 is not only a substitute for the conventional Pt-based CE in DSSCs but also can be a potential energy storage material and sensitizer for photo-supercapacitor applications. Open Research DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT Data available on request from the authors Supporting Information Filename Description er7908-sup-0001-supinfo.docxWord 2007 document , 403.1 KB Appendix S1. Supporting information. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article. Early ViewOnline Version of Record before inclusion in an issue RelatedInformation