Conversion of CO2 to 3D graphene as counter electrode for food dye-sensitized solar cells

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) provide an efficient method to convert the solar energy into electricity. In this study, the reaction of CO2 and Na to produce 3D graphene as counter electrode (CE) for DSSCs was reported. DSSCs with graphene CE exhibited higher power conversion efficiency (PCE) compared with Pt CE. Furthermore, food dye Erythrosin B was employed to replace the expensive ruthenium based dyes (N719 or N3). This provided a novel approach for CO2 utilization on producing graphene and for fabricating low-cost DSSCs.