Influence of polyaniline in polyaniline-tin oxide nanocomposite as counter electrode for dye sensitized solar cells

Polyaniline (PANI) was synthesized in its emeraldine form by the oxidation of aniline with ammonia persulphate (APS). The coprecipitation technique was employed for the synthesis of PANI-SnO2 nanocomposite using prepared PANI, tin chloride dihydrate and ammonia solution precursors. The nanocomposite samples consisting of different weight percentage of PANI were prepared. The morphological features of the nanocomposites were analyzed from its Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images. The crystalline size and structural properties were deciphered from the X-ray Diffraction (XRD) results of the samples. The Energy Dispersive X-ray Analyses (EDAX) of the samples provided the information on elemental composition. Furthermore, UV-vis spectroscopy was used to analyze the optical properties while the Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) was used for the study of electrochemical properties of the samples, which have revealed that PANI-SnO2 nanocomposite can act as a suitable counter electrode in dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Thus, this nanocomposite can be a cheaper replacement to the more expensive and commercialized platinum counter electrodes in DSSCs. (C) 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.