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High-performance Co9Se8/CoSe counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells

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Abstract

In this paper, high-performance Co9Se8/CoSe counter electrodes (CEs) had been fabricated for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The Co9Se8/CoSe structure had been successfully synthesized by a one-step solvothermal method. Co9Se8/CoSe films on conductive glass substrates were fabricated by a low-temperature spray deposition. The electrocatalytic activity of CEs had been characterized by cyclic voltammetry, Tafel-polarization curves, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). It was found that Co9Se8/CoSe film showed slightly higher electrocatalytic activity than Pt for the reduction of \({\text{I}}_{3}^{ - }\). The power conversion efficiency of the DSSC based on Co9Se8/CoSe CE was improved from 6.59 to 6.75 %, with respect to a reference DSSC based on Pt CE.

Graphical abstract

Co9Se8/CoSe film shows the similar catalytic activity with Pt for the \({\text{I}}_{3}^{ - }\) reduction, and the best performance of the DSSCs based on Co9Se8/CoSe CE is achieved with the open-circuit voltage of 0.70 V, the short-circuit current density of 15.06 mA cm−2, and the power conversion efficiency of 6.75 %.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Analytical and Testing Center of Huazhong University of Science and Technology for all samples testing. We benefited from the fruitful discussions with Haichao Chen (School of Optical and Electronic Information, Huazhong University of Science and Technology).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Huaiyin Institute of Technology, Huai’an, 223003, People’s Republic of China

    Qingsong Jiang

  2. School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, People’s Republic of China

    Jian Gao & Lin Yi

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  1. Qingsong Jiang
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  2. Jian Gao
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  3. Lin Yi
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Correspondence to Qingsong Jiang.

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Jiang, Q., Gao, J. & Yi, L. High-performance Co9Se8/CoSe counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells. J Sol-Gel Sci Technol 74, 168–174 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-014-3592-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-014-3592-1

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