A highly efficient flexible dye-sensitized solar cell based on nickel sulfide/platinum/titanium counter electrode

Abstract

A composite film of nickel sulfide/platinum/titanium foil (NiS/Pt/Ti) with low cost and high electrocatalytic activity was synthesized by the use of an in situ electropolymerization route and proposed as a counter electrode (CE) catalyst for flexible dye-sensitized solar cells (FDSSCs). The FDSSC with the NiS/Pt/Ti CE exhibited a comparable power conversion efficiency of 7.20% to the FDSSC with the platinum/titanium (Pt/Ti) CE showing 6.07%. The surface morphology of the NiS/Pt/Ti CE with one-dimensional (1D) structure is characterized by using the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The NiS/Pt/Ti CE also displayed multiple electrochemical functions of excellent conductivity, great electrocatalytic ability for iodine/triiodine, and low charge transfer resistance of 2.61 ± 0.02 Ω cm2, which were characterized by using the cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and Tafel polarization plots. The photocurrent-photovoltage (J-V) character curves were further used to calculate the theoretical optical light performance parameters of the FDSSCs. It may be said that the NiS/Pt/Ti counter electrode is a promising catalytic material to replace the expensive platinum in FDSSCs.