A Facile Synthesis of DSSC ‐Based PEDOT : PSS /Activated Carbon Composite for Photodetector Appli

ABSTRACT

DSSC has demonstrated potential not only for photovoltaic applications but also for photodetector applications, due to its affordable fabrication cost, simple fabrication process, environmental friendliness, and good performance. The counter electrode is one of the main components in DSSC, which significantly functions as a catalyst to accelerate the reduction of triiodide ions to improve the photodetector's performance. In this research, the counter electrode is composed of a composite of activated carbon and the conductive polymer PEDOT:PSS. The synergy of this composite provides an improved microstructure and morphology, which can enhance catalytic activity, conductivity, and electrical properties. This research aims to develop a low fabrication cost and easily fabricable counter electrode based on PEDOT:PSS/AC composite. The addition of AC mass to the PEDOT:PSS/AC composite improves surface specific area and porosity, reduces band gap energy, decreases resistance, and increases catalytic ability, which can improve ion transport and redox systems. In addition, the current‐time and voltage‐time photovoltaic response characteristics were also investigated. This device is quite promising for photodetector applications due to its high current and voltage response under illumination conditions with photocurrent density of up to 4.60 mA/cm ² , with the best photoresponse in the wavelength range 500–550 nm.