Abstract
Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) emerged in the early 1990s as a promising alternative to the classic silicon-based solar cell due to their unique combination of low cost, ease of fabrication, color palette for building integration, and high efficiency in indoor applications. This review article describes the fabrication and the properties of poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT)-based catalytic counter electrodes (CEs) for DSSCs. In particular, the electrochemical reactivity PEDOT CEs used in conjunction with alternative redox mediators for DSSCs is outlined. Among alternative redox shuttles, cobalt and copper complexes, as well as totally organic thiolate/disulfide, have been considered. Finally, PEDOT can also be used as a hole conductor material in electrolyte-free solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells. This review clearly shows that the progress in DSSCs development is strongly linked to the introduction of PEDOT as a new counter electrode material.
Highlights
Since 1991 Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have emerged as efficient alternative devices for converting solar energy into electrical energy mainly thanks to their low cost, easy preparation, high efficiency, and environmental benignity
The counter electrode is of fundamental importance since it significantly influences both the performance and cost of DSSCs
This review outlines the use of PEDOT films as catalytic counter electrodes for DSSCs
Summary
One of the causes of limited DSSC stability was identified in the reaction of the electrolyte with the platinum counter electrode (CE), which can lead to the dissolution of Pt from the substrate [13] From this perspective, low-cost conductive polymers, such as poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT), which play a prominent role as hole transporting layers in OSC and PSC architectures, have emerged to replace Pt-coated CEs in DSSCs, thanks to its high room-temperature conductivity and remarkable stability [5,14,15,16]. The main drawback with the PPy counter electrode is its higher charge transfer resistance Rct and the lower conductivity of the films [23] We review the historical developments and the properties that have made PEDOT-based materials one of the most widely used substrates for DSSC counter electrode fabrication
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