Abstract
A cost effective and efficient alternative counter electrode (CE) to replace commercially existing platinum (Pt)-based CEs for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) is necessary to make DSSCs competitive. Herein, we report the large-area growth of molybdenum telluride (MoTe2) thin films by sputtering-chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on conductive glass substrates for Pt-free CEs of DSSCs. Cyclic voltammetry (CV), Tafel curve analysis, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) results showed that the as-synthesized MoTe2 exhibited good electrocatalytic properties and a low charge transfer resistance at the electrolyte-electrode interface. The optimized MoTe2 CE revealed a high power conversion efficiency of 7.25% under a simulated solar illumination of 100 mW cm−2 (AM 1.5), which was comparable to the 8.15% observed for a DSSC with a Pt CE. The low cost and good electrocatalytic properties of MoTe2 thin films make them as an alternative CE for DSSCs.
Highlights
Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are gaining considerable interest for next-generation photovoltaic devices due to their acceptable energy conversion efficiency, low cost, environmental friendliness, and easy fabrication processes[1,2]
MoTe2 films used as counter electrode (CE) in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) showed good electrical conductivity and electrocatalytic activity, and a DSSC employing a MoTe2 CE synthesized under optimized conditions had a 7.25% photovoltaic conversion efficiencies (PCEs), which is comparable to the value of 8.15% obtained for the Pt CE under the same conditions
These results indicate that catalytic activities depend on the MoTe2 thickness since active sites and morphology vary with the growth time, supporting that catalytic activities of thin MoTe2 could be modulated by their film thickness and morphology
Summary
The CVs of sample S1, S2 and S3 were measured using different scan rates from 10 to 100 mVs−1 for the (I−/I3−) redox reaction, as shown in Figure S4b–d, respectively. The variations of Voc and Jsc values for MoTe2 and Pt CEs can be attributed to the nanoporous nature of the MoTe2 CE in contrast to the planar Pt CE, and the high conductivity of Pt. Figures S5 shows incident photon-to current-conversion efficiency (IPCE) curves of DSSCs with the MoTe2 CE and Pt CE. These results indicate that catalytic activities depend on the MoTe2 thickness since active sites and morphology vary with the growth time, supporting that catalytic activities of thin MoTe2 could be modulated by their film thickness and morphology
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