Towards Sustainable Energy: Characterization of Printable Carbon Electrodes for Integrated Monolithic Dye-sensitized solar cell and Supercapacitors

This thesis is part of a larger project focused on developing a printed monolithic device that integrates a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) with a supercapacitor (SC) to enable efficient energy production and storage. Such devices are promising for a sustainable future in the Internet of Things (IoT), offering viable alternatives to conventional disposable batteries. One of the objective of the project is to characterize printable inks used to create carbon-based electrodes composed of activated carbon and carbon black. These materials provide high surface area and good conductivity, making them suitable for use as storage electrodes in supercapacitors and as catalytic (counter) electrodes in DSSCs. This thesis focused on the characterization of the catalytic properties of the produced electrodes. Electrochemical measurements were conducted in both two-electrode and three-electrode configurations, utilizing the [Cu(tmby)₂]²⁺/⁺ redox mediator present in the DSSC electrolyte. Additionally, this work compares γ-valerolactone—a green and low-toxicity solvent—with standard acetonitrile, which is toxic and flammable, for the preparation of the DSSC electrolyte in combination with the studied counter electrodes. Finally, carbon-based DSSCs were fabricated and their electrical and electrochemical properties were thoroughly characterized. Results indicate that the prepared carbon-based electrodes demonstrate comparable catalytic performance with respect to reference commercial counter electrodes, making them suitable for the fabrication of fully printed monolithic device integrating DSSC and SC.