Effect of annealing temperature on the performance of dye-sensitized solar cell using nickel sulphide–reduced graphene oxide cathode

In this work, nickel sulphide (NiS)–reduced graphene oxide (rGO) (NiS–rGO) has been used as a cathode in dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). The cathode has been prepared via liquid phase deposition technique assisted with modified Hummer’s method and spin-coating technique. The effect of annealing temperature on the properties of NiS–rGO has been reported. The influence of temperature on performance of the device utilizing NiS–rGO cathode has also been investigated. The annealing temperature ranges from 320 to 400°C. The sample shows minor phase of NiS and rGO. The device using the cathode annealed at 380°C produced the best power conversion efficiency (η) of 0.50%. This champion device also yielded the highest Voc of 0.72 V. This is because this device owns the lowest sheet resistance (Rs) of 11.50 Ω per square. The photovoltaic result of this work signifies that NiS–rGO has the potential as a substitution for platinum as cathode for DSSC.