6Spirulina-derived residual groups as a special additive to modify the 7 dyed-TiO 2 /electrolyte interface are introduced to enhance the photovoltaic 8 performance. The interaction between the spirulina residual groups and 9 surface of TiO 2 films is investigated. It is found that spirulina extracts molecule 10 split into several small fragments as Ti-O-CH 2 -OH anchoring on the surface of 11 TiO 2 by thermal treatment. Spirulina residual groups modified TiO 2 12 photoanodes have a higher light-harvesting capacity and efficient electron 13 transport. As a result, both the V oc and J sc are improved by TiO 2 photoanodes 14 decorated with spirulina derived residual groups, with the short-circuit current 15 of 10.17 mA cm -2 corresponding to the photoelectric conversion efficiency of 16 4.26%, which is 33.1% higher than the blank DSSC.17

N-doped bagasse-derived carbon/Pt composite (NBC/Pt) with a very low Pt loading (0.31 wt%) is synthesized by a simple and ecofriendly hydrothermal process with bagasse as the carbon precursor and investigated as the counter electrode (CE) of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The N doping reduces Pt nanoparticles size and facilitates the dispersion of Pt nanoparticles, which promotes the strong interaction between Pt and carbon supports. The electrochemical results show that the structural feature is beneficial to improve charge transfer rate on the interface between Pt nanoparticles and carbon supports, resulting in the enhanced catalytic activity toward I − /I 3 − redox couples. Under simulated AM 1.5 G solar illumination at 100 mW cm −2 , the DSSCs with the NBC/Pt composite CE exhibit a 6.98% power conversion efficiency (PCE), which is superior to the conventional Pt (PCE = 6.08%) CE. The NBC/Pt composite is an attractive CE material that can use 2.52 x less Pt loading onto each FTO substrate than the conventional Pt CE, which is advantageous over the high cost Pt for the fabrication of DSSCs.

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