Construction of Cu-doped α-MoO3 nanostructures and their application as counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells

Abstract

The proposed work was to develop a low-cost counter electrode used in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) for the replacement of Ptelectrodes. Alpha Molybdenum oxide (α-MoO3) and copper-doped α-MoO3 (Cu-doped α-MoO3) were prepared by a hydrothermal technique. The physical properties and performance of DSSCs were investigated by varying Cu doping (0.05%, 0.1%, and 0.2% wt.) with α-MoO3. DSSC fabricated with Cu-doped α-MoO3 was found to be 2.87% (S3) efficiency, which was higher than that of undoped α-MoO3 (1.83%) and platinum (2.51%) as counter electrodes (CEs). The results clearly indicate that Cu-doped α-MoO3 can effectively replace expensive platinum CEs in a cost-efficient manner.