Hydrothermal synthesis of NiS2 cubes with high performance as counter electrodes in dye-sensitized solar cells

Abstract

Electrocatalytic NiS2 cubes were directly synthesized on F-doped tin oxide using a hydrothermal approach and used as counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The NiS2 cubes displayed an excellent electrocatalytic activity in the reduction of I3- showing a power conversion efficiency of 5.56%, which is close to that of the Pt-containing DSSC (7.05%). Furthermore, the NiS2 cubes showed a comparable stability to Pt. This is ascribed to the low resistance to diffusion and transfer of electrolyte ions. These results suggest that the NiS2 cubes prepared through a facile process is a promising substitute to Pt electrode.