Printable Highly Catalytic Pt- and TCO-Free Counter Electrode for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Abstract

Here we show that a counter electrode based on carbon network supported Cu2ZnSnS4 nanodots on Mo-coated soda-lime glass for dye-sensitized solar cells can outperform the conventional best electrode with Pt nanoparticles on the fluorine-doped SnO2 conducting glass. In the as-developed electrode, all of the elements are of high abundance ratios with low materials cost. The fabrication is scalable because it is conducted by a screen-printing based approach. Therefore, this research lays a solid ground for the large area fabrication of high-performance dye-sensitized solar cell at reduced material cost.

Controlling Available Active Sites of Pt-Loaded TiO2Nanotube-Imprinted Ti Plates for Efficient Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

“…Therefore, it is very likely that the value of R ct would not influence the FF value to a large extent in our case, as supported by some literatures that there is no clear correlation between the values of FF and R ct . [50][51][52][53][54] In fact, some literatures reported that the FF value is influenced by the R ct value, i.e., the larger the R ct , the smaller the FF. [55][56][57][58][59][60] Since there are so many factors to influence the FF, our study suggests no obvious relationship between the values of FF and R ct , which is in good agreement with the previous literatures.…”

“…[55][56][57][58][59][60] Since there are so many factors to influence the FF, our study suggests no obvious relationship between the values of FF and R ct , which is in good agreement with the previous literatures. [50][51][52][53][54] This study reports on the preparation of Ti plates with TNT imprints and their applications on …”

Synthesis of Wurtzite Cu2ZnSnS4 Nanosheets with Exposed High-Energy (002) Facets for Fabrication of Efficient Pt-Free Solar Cell Counter Electrodes

“…Different electrodes have shown similar CV curves with two pairs of redox peaks (Ox-1/Red-1, Ox-2/Red-2) being observed. As the reaction of I − /I 3 − redox electrolyte in CEs is I 3 − + 2e − ↔ 3I − , so the reduction process is pertinent to the CEs performance and should be considered in our analysis 58 . Two important parameters for catalytic activity are the peak current ( i p ) and the peak-to-peak separation ( E pp ) 59 – 61 .…”

“…6b , the cathodic peak current density ( i pa ) and anodic peak current density ( i pc ) of CZTS-NS are 1.82 mA·cm −2 and 1.73 mA·cm −2 , higher than that of CZTS-SP ( i pa = 1.21 mA·cm −2 , i pc = 1.18 mA·cm −2 ), but slightly lower than that of Pt ( i pa = 2.14 mA·cm −2 , i pc = 2.15 mA·cm −2 ). The E pp in a pair is in an inverse correlation with the standard electrochemical rate constant of the corresponding redox reaction 58 . The lower E pp represents the higher kinetic ability for I 3 − reduction 57 .…”

Molybdenum Disulfide/Reduced Graphene Oxide–Carbon Nanotube Hybrids as Efficient Catalytic Materials in Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells

“…To date, extensive attempts have been made to explore alternatives that do not involve Pt, such as conducting polymers, [6][7][8][9] carbonaceous materials, [10][11][12][13][14][15][16] and inorganic compounds. [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26] Among the carbonaceous materials, graphene, possessing a single layer structure of two-dimensional graphite, has recently generated enormous amounts of research activity; this material is regarded as a good substitute for CE material because of its high specific surface area, excellent thermal and chemical properties, as well as exceptional electrical conductivity. [27] Moreover, the surface functionalization of graphene leads to the formation of defects or oxygen-containing functional groups located at its edge sites, which play a crucial role in providing active sites for I 3 À reduction.…”