Counter Electrode For Dye-sensitized Solar Cells Research Articles

Electrospun NiCo2S4 with extraordinary electrocatalytic activity as counter electrodes for dye-sensitized solar cells

The performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) is critically dependent on the catalytic activity of their counter electrode (CE) materials. There are great research interests to develop alternative CE materials to replace the conventional Pt electrode. Herein, nickel cobalt sulfide (NiCo2S4, NCS) particles were prepared through sulfurization of NiCo2O4 (NCO) electrospun nanofibers. The bimetallic sulfide was used as CE for DSSC and exhibited an excellent photoenergy conversion efficiency (PCE) of 7.12%, which is higher than the dye-sensitized solar cells using NCO (5.24%) and Pt CEs (7.05%). Systematic electrochemical characterization suggests that this extraordinary performance of NCS might be related to the improved electrocatalytic ability and electrical conductivity. In view of the low-cost synthesis and outstanding electrochemical performance, the NCS counter electrode would hold great promise for applications in dye-sensitized solar cells.

Solution Processed NixSy Films: Composition, Morphology and Crystallinity Tuning via Ni/S-Ratio-Control and Application in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

The design and facile fabrication of highly efficient, cost-effective and earth abundant counter electrode material on an electrode surface is highly desirable for the application of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Herein, using a N,N-dimethylformamide based solution process, transition metal chalcogenide NixSy films have been obtained by spin-coating a NiCl2-thiourea (Ni-Tu) solution combining mild thermal treatment. XRD, SEM and TEM characterizations reveal that the current procedure allows for phase composition (Ni3S2, NiS and NiS-NiS2), crystallinity, morphology (film uniformity and compactness) control of the films through simple adjusting Ni/S ratio in the precursor solution. Electrochemical analysis indicates that the FTO supported Ni3S2 and NiS films exhibit excellent electrocatalytic activity toward the reduction of triiodide, resulting in higher photo-electric conversion efficiencies of 6.86% and 6.95% when used as counter electrode in DSSCs, versus 6.66% for Pt. In particular, even without the support of conductive FTO layer, Hall effect measurements and electrocatalytic analysis reveal that pristine NixSy films exhibit good electrical conductivity and electrocatalytic activity, yielding a highest photo-electric conversion efficiency of 4.41% when used as counter electrode in DSSCs. Our study thus provides a facile procedure which allows for composition, morphology optimization and high performance for low-cost, large-scale DSSC application.

Carbon nitride transparent counter electrode prepared by magnetron sputtering for a dye-sensitized solar cell

Carbon nitride (CNx) films supported on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass are prepared by radio frequency magnetron sputtering, in which the film thicknesses are 90–100 nm, and the element components in the CNx films are in the range of x = 0.15–0.25. The as-prepared CNx is for the first time used as counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), and show a preparation-temperature dependent electrochemical performance. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) demonstrates that there is a higher proportion of sp2 CC and sp3 CN hybridized bonds in CNx-500 (the sample treated at 500 °C) than in CNx-RT (the sample without a heat treatment). It is proposed that the sp2 CC and sp3 C–N hybridized bonds in the CNx films are helpful for improving the electrocatalytic activities in DSSCs. Meanwhile, Raman spectra also prove that CNx-500 has a relatively high graphitization level that means an increasing electrical conductivity. This further explains why the sample after the heat treatment has a higher electrochemical performance in DSSCs. In addition, the as-prepared CNx counter electrodes have a good light transmittance in the visible light region. The results are meaningful for developing low-cost metal-free transparent counter electrodes for DSSCs.

Pulsed-laser-ablation based nanodecoration of multi-wall-carbon nanotubes by Co\u2013Ni nanoparticles for dye-sensitized solar cell counter electrode applications

We report here on the use of pulsed KrF-laser deposition technique (PLD) for the decoration of Multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) by Co–Ni nanoparticles (NPs) to form highly efficient counter electrodes (CEs) for use in Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). By varying the number of laser ablation pulses (NLP = 500–60,000) of the KrF laser, we were able to control the average size of the Co–Ni NPs and the surface coverage of the MWCNTs by the nanoparticles. The PLD-based decoration of MWCNTs by Co–Ni NPs is shown to form novel counter electrodes, which significantly enhance the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the DSSCs. Indeed, the DSSCs based on the PLD-decorated Co–Ni counter electrodes (obtained at the optimal NLP = 40,000) are shown to exhibit a PCE value as high as 6.68%, with high short circuit current (Jsc = 14.68 mA/cm2) and open circuit voltage (Voc = 0.63 V). This represents a PCE improvement of ~190% in comparison to the DSSCs with pristine MWCNTs (PCE = 2.3%) and ~7.4% PCE increase than that of the conventional DSSC made with a sputtered Platinum-based counter electrode. By systematically investigating the local nanostructure of the Co–Ni decorated CEs, we found that the Co–Ni NPs layer exhibits a porous cauliflower-like morphology, of which surface roughness (RMS) is NLP dependent. Interestingly, both PCE and roughness of the Co–Ni NPs layer are found to exhibit the same NLP dependence, with a maximum located around the optimal NLP value of 40,000. This enabled us to establish, for the first time, a linear correlation between the achieved PCE of DSSCs and the local roughness of their CEs decorated by Co–Ni NPs. Such a correlation highlights the importance of maximizing the surface area of the Co–Ni coated MWCNTs on the CEs to enhance the PCE of the DSSCs. Finally, Ultra-violet Photoelectron Spectroscopy (UPS) measurements revealed a significant decrease in the local work function (Φ) of Co–Ni NPs decorated MWCNTs based CEs (at NLP = 40,000, Φ = 3.9 eV) with respect to that of either pristine MWCNTs (Φ = 4.8 eV) or sputtered-Pt (Φ = 4.3 eV) counter-electrodes. This Φ lowering of the Co–Ni/MWCNTs based CEs is an additional advantage to enhance the catalytic reaction of the redox couple of the electrolyte solution, and improve thereby the PCE of the DSSCs.

Characteristics of Thermally Reduced Graphene Oxide Thin Film as DSSC Counter Electrode

We report characteristics of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) as a counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). The RGO thin films were prepared on FTO (Fluorine-doped Tin Oxide) substrates and followed by a reduction process. The RGO film was used as a counter electrode in a DSSC device, with a structure of FTO/TiO2/ruthenium dye/mosalyte/RGO/FTO. UV-Vis measurements show an increasing absorption spectrum of RGO film after thermal reduction process and the FT-IR spectrum confirms a removal of the oxygen containing groups after thermal reduction process. The efficiency (η) of the DSSC that applied RGO film as a counter electrode is 0.96%.

Facile synthesis of NiS/graphene composite with high catalytic activity for high-efficiency dye-sensitized solar cells

Creation of low-cost and efficient counter electrodes (CEs) is important for developing cost-effective dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). In this report, NiS/graphene (G) nanocomposites have been facilely synthesized by physically mixing NiS nanoparticles with G and used as CE in DSSC. The NiS/graphene nanocomposite integrates the high conductive ability of graphene and well electrocatalytic activity of NiS into a single CE material. By introducing graphene, the NiS nanoparticles are well dispersed on graphene sheets. The effect of graphene additive ratios on electrochemical and photovoltaic performance has been investigated. The resultant CEs follow an order of NiS-G0.6 > Pt > NiS-G0.8 > NiS-G0.4 > NiS-G0.2 > NiS > G. With an optimized weight ratio (1:0.6) of graphene to NiS (NiS-G0.6), a maximal power conversion efficiency of 8.18% was obtained, yielding 17.2% enhancement in comparison to the device with NiS CE.

Rapid fabrication and photovoltaic performance of Pt-free carbon nanotube counter electrodes of dye-sensitized solar cells

We fabricated uniform multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) thin films on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrates with controlled thickness by an easy and versatile spin-coating process (SCP). Aqueous dispersions of MWCNTs were dropped on the FTO glass substrates and spin-coated to form uniform MWCNT thin films, which were then used as the catalytic medium on the counter electrodes (CEs) of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). For the DSC with an optimized MWCNT-thin-film thickness coated on the CE, the short circuit current density (Jsc) was more than that of the conventional Pt-based DSC (10.97±0.13mAcm−2 vs 9.58±0.17mAcm−2), while its power conversion efficiency (PCE) was comparable to that of conventional DSC (∼4.41±0.14% and ∼4.69±0.22%, respectively). This suggests that the accumulation of MWCNTs on the CE increases the interfacial contact area between the MWCNTs and liquid electrolyte in the DSC, allowing the rapid reduction of I3−. Simultaneously, it decreases the charge transfer resistance owing to rapid electron transport through the MWCNT medium with its relatively high electrical conductivity. Thus, the precisely controlled rapid accumulation of MWCNT thin films by the SCP on the CEs of DSCs is a very promising approach for replacing the expensive Pt metal that is currently used in DSC applications.

Three-dimensional porous vanadium nitride nanoribbon aerogels as Pt-free counter electrode for high-performance dye-sensitized solar cells

Three-dimensional (3D) porous vanadium nitride nanoribbon aerogels (PVNNRAs) are prepared by hydrothermal synthesis and subsequent nitridation in ammonia/argon atmosphere and investigated as Pt-free counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). 3D porous nanoribbon aerogel can simultaneously offer more electrocatalytic active sites, a fast electron-transport pathway, and a favorable electrolyte diffusion channel, which endows the PVNNRA electrode with high electrocatalytic activity for the reduction of I3−. Under full-sun illumination (AM 1.5, 100mWcm−2), the DSC fabricated with PVNNRA counter electrode achieves a conversion efficiency of 7.05%, which is comparable to that of DSCs fabricated with Pt counter electrode. In addition, the PVNNRA electrode exhibits good stability in I−/I3− redox electrolyte. Thus, 3D PVNNRAs can be considered as a cost-effective alternative to Pt as the counter electrode of DSCs.

A facile one-step synthesis and fabrication of hexagonal palladium-carbon nanocubes (H-Pd/C NCs) and their application as an efficient counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC)

Abstract Hexagonal palladium-carbon nanocubes (H-Pd/C NCs) were prepared using a simple one-step chemical synthesis protocol and subsequently the prepared materials were used as the counter electrode (CE) in dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) to replace the platinum (Pt) electrode. The H-Pd/C NCs were characterized by a variety of suitable analytical techniques including powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis to evaluate the crystalline, structural, morphological, compositional, chemical state and surface area. The BET nitrogen adsorption /desorption analysis shows that the as-prepared H-Pd/C NCs sample had a large surface area (568.8 m 2 g −1 ) with average pore size of ∼3 nm. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) analyses indicate that the H-Pd/C NCs have low charge-transfer resistance on the electrolyte/electrode interface and high electrocatalytic activity for the reduction of triiodide to iodide redox electrolyte and hence it is used as a CE in DSSC. The H-Pd/C NCs showed an overall power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 4.1% which performance is comparable with the conventional Pt CE (4.0%) under the identical condition.

Cobalt-nickel based ternary selenides as high-efficiency counter electrode materials for dye-sensitized solar cells

One important challenge in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) is to design and construct low-cost counter electrodes (CEs) with good electrocatalytic performance. In this work, a one-step solvothermal method was used to prepare cobalt-nickel (Co-Ni) based ternary selenides with different Co and Ni ratios. Co-Ni based ternary selenide films were fabricated by simple spray deposition for applications as low-cost and high-performance CEs in DSSCs. Electrochemical measurements demonstrate that the Co-Ni based ternary selenide CEs exhibit high electrocatalytic activity and strong charge-transfer ability for the reduction of I3− due to the synergistic effect between Co and Ni ions in Co-Ni based ternary selenides. In particular, Co0.42Ni0.58Se CE shows the higher electrocatalytic activity than other Co-Ni based ternary selenide CEs and platinum (Pt) CE. Furthermore, the DSSC with Co0.42Ni0.58Se CE exhibits photoelectrical conversion efficiency (PCE) of 6.15%, which is considerably higher than that of the DSSC with Pt CE (5.53%).

Metal Selenides as Efficient Counter Electrodes for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.

Solar energy is the most abundant renewable energy available to the earth and can meet the energy needs of humankind, but efficient conversion of solar energy to electricity is an urgent issue of scientific research. As the third-generation photovoltaic technology, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have gained great attention since the landmark efficiency of ∼7% reported by O'Regan and Grätzel. The most attractive features of DSSCs include low cost, simple manufacturing processes, medium-purity materials, and theoretically high power conversion efficiencies. As one of the key materials in DSSCs, the counter electrode (CE) plays a crucial role in completing the electric circuit by catalyzing the reduction of the oxidized state to the reduced state for a redox couple (e.g., I3-/I-) in the electrolyte at the CE-electrolyte interface. To lower the cost caused by the typically used Pt CE, which restricts the large-scale application because of its low reserves and high price, great effort has been made to develop new CE materials alternative to Pt. A lot of Pt-free electrocatalysts, such as carbon materials, inorganic compounds, conductive polymers, and their composites with good electrocatalytic activity, have been applied as CEs in DSSCs in the past years. Metal selenides have been widely used as electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction and light-harvesting materials for solar cells. Our group first expanded their applications to the DSSC field by using in situ-grown Co0.85Se nanosheet and Ni0.85Se nanoparticle films as CEs. This finding has inspired extensive studies on developing new metal selenides in order to seek more efficient CE materials for low-cost DSSCs, and a lot of meaningful results have been achieved in the past years. In this Account, we summarize recent advances in binary and mutinary metal selenides applied as CEs in DSSCs. The synthetic methods for metal selenides with various morphologies and stoichiometric ratios and deposition methods for CE films are described. We emphasize that the in situ growth method exhibits advantages over other methods for fabricating stable and efficient CEs. We focus on the effect of morphology on the electocatalytic and photovoltaic performance. Application of transparent metal selenide CEs in bifacial DSSCs and the superiority of in situ-grown metal selenide nanosheet fiber CEs used for fiber DSSCs are presented. In addition, we show that metal selenides with a hollow sphere structure can function not only as an efficient electrocatalyst but also as a light-scattering layer. Finally, we present our views on the current challenges and future development of metal selenide CE materials.

Depositing Pt nanoparticles by pulse electrodeposition for DSSCs counter electrode with high electrocatalytic activity

A Pt counter electrode of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) was prepared by a simple and low-cost pulse electrodeposition method. The catalytic activity and the Pt utilization efficiency of Pt films were investigated. In this study, four Pt counter electrodes were prepared by pulse electrodeposition at high current density on FTO substrates. The catalytic activity of the counter electrode and DSSC performance were optimized by varying the pulse electrodepositing cycles. The relationships between Pt nanostructure, electrochemical properties, interfacial charge transfer resistance and photovoltaic performance are investigated in detail. The Pt film prepared by 25 pulse electrodepositing cycles shows well-distributed Pt nanoparticles on the FTO substrate, which provides not only a larger electrochemical active surface area but also lower charge transfer resistance than others. The photovoltaic performance proves that the Pt counter electrode prepared by 25 pulse electrodepositing cycles at 30 mA/cm2 current density achieves the highest energy conversion efficiency of 8.45% among these samples.

Single step hydrothermal synthesis of mixed valent V 6 O 13 nano-architectures: A case study of the possible applications in electrochemical energy conversion

Availability of several stable vanadium oxidation states offers numerous advantages in terms of applications but at the same time it poses great challenge to isolate them in single phase during their synthesis process. In this study, we developed a facile single step hydrothermal synthesis of V6O13 nano-architectures using environmental friendly citric acid as a reducing agent. By means of time dependant hydrothermal conditions study, we observed evolution of several stable vanadium oxide phases. The as-synthesized powder samples phase confirmation was thoroughly studied by powder X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The morphology of the products formed was investigated at each hydrothermal reaction time. Finally, these V6O13 nano-architectures were employed as counter electrode (CE) in dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The photovoltaic performance and the electrical impedance studies of the DSSC device made use of V6O13 nano-architectures are reported here. It is believed that with further optimization, this relatively inexpensive material can act as efficient CE for DSSCs, which thereby open up a new avenue for vanadium oxides as a new class of materials for clean energy generation.

Hydrothermal growth of MoS2/Co3S4 composites as efficient Pt-free counter electrodes for dye-sensitized solar cells

MoS2/Co3S4 composite films were prepared via a facile one-step hydrothermal method, and used as efficient and low-cost Pt-free counter electrodes (CEs) for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Characterizations revealed that Co3S4 and MoS2 were obtained simultaneously during the facile hydrothermal process. The composites afforded a promising synergistic effect on the catalyzing of triiodide reduction. Enhanced electrocatalytic performance of the resultant composite films was confirmed through cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) analyses. DSSCs using MoS2/Co3S4 composite CEs outperform the devices with pristine MoS2 or Co3S4 CEs in power conversion efficiency (PCE). Furthermore, a PCE of 6.77% is obtained for the optimized devices using MoS2/Co3S4 composite CEs measured under standard 1 sun illumination (100 mW cm−2, AM 1.5G), which is comparable to that of the devices fabricated under the same conditions with conventional thermally deposited Pt CEs (7.14%). The results demonstrate that MoS2/Co3S4 composites are promising alternatives to Pt to be applied as CEs for DSSCs.

Hydrothermal electrochemical deposition synthesis NiSe2 as efficient counter electrode materials for dye-sensitized solar cells

The hydrothermal electrochemical deposition (HED) synthesis NiSe2 as counter electrode(CE) of dye-sensitized solar cells(DSSCs), which shows excellent catalytic activity in reduction of triiodide. Hydrothermal and electro-deposition(ED) have been widely used to synthetize NiSe2, herein, we fistly introduce the HED to produce the NiSe2 material as the CE of DSSCs. In addition, cyclic voltammetry(CV) curves, Tafel plots and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS) indicated that HED-NiSe2 as CE shows better electrocatalytic activity for reduction of iodine/iodide electrolyte than ED-NiSe2 and Pt. The DSSC fabricated by the HED-NiSe2 CE displays a solar-to-electricity conversion efficiency of 8.24% comparing with 7.68% the convention Pt as reference, and significant higher than that of based on the ED-NiSe2(7.97%). Furthermore, we demonstrate that the HED method is a promising way to design and synthesize advanced CE materials for utilizing solar energy.

Evaluation of Pt-based alloy/graphene nanohybrid electrocatalysts for triiodide reduction in photovoltaics

This work focuses on systematic studies of dissolution engineering for Pt0.9M0.1/graphene (M = Au, Co, Cu, Fe, Mo, Ni, Pd, Ru, and Sn) counter electrodes (CEs). The developed nanohybrid materials exhibit higher catalytic activity and electrical conductivity compared with those of Pt/graphene CEs. The results also indicate the improved stability of the developed CEs in iodide electrolyte. Furthermore, the trend in the variation of the reactivity of the PtM alloys agrees well with the concept of density functional theory (one-electron description). An enhancement in the catalytic activity of the developed nanohybrids results from the electronic effect that originates from an upward shift of the platinum d-band to the Fermi energy level upon alloying. Thus, the Pt0.9M0.1/graphene nanohybrids are cost-effective alternative CE materials to the expensive Pt. The obtained results provide a foundation for enhancing the catalytic activities of CEs for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). The implementation of the Pt0.9M0.1/graphene nanohybrids offers significant potential for increasing the efficiency of DSCs.

Metal-Organic Framework Derived CoNi@CNTs Embedded Carbon Nanocages for Efficient Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

The commercialization of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) has been severely hindered by high cost and scarcity of Pt as counter electrode (CE). Up to date, the design of low-cost Pt-free CE materials with an ideal combination of high electrical conductivity, excellent catalytic activity and satisfactory long-term electrochemical stability still poses challenges to researchers. In this work, we have developed novel CoNi alloy@carbon nanotubes embedded carbon nanocages (CoNi@CNTs-C) as the CE of DSSCs for the first time, by applying Co/Ni bimetallic metal organic framework (MOF) as the template. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of DSSCs can be maximized by simply optimizing the ratio of Ni2+/Co2+ precursor ratio during the synthesis. As a result, the DSSC based on CoNi@CNTs-C-200 CE with a Co/Ni atomic ratio of 9:1 exhibits a remarkable PCE of 9.04%, showing a ∼15% enhancement compared to that of Pt CE (7.88%). Notably, the CoNi@CNTs-C-200 CE also demonstrates excellent long-term electrochemical stability over 300 cyclic voltammetry cycles, which is much superior to that of conventional Pt CE. Thus, the CoNi@CNTs-C demonstrates a great potential as a low-cost, stable and efficient CE material for next-generation DSSCs.

Electrospun FeS nanorods with enhanced stability as counter electrodes for dye-sensitized solar cells

The performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) is strongly influenced by the catalytic performance of counter electrode (CE) materials. Platinum (Pt) is extensively used as the CE for DSSC, but the high cost and low resistance to corrosion of Pt-based CE material restricts its practical application. Herein, we prepared α-Fe2O3 and FeS nanorods (NRs) through electrospinning and investigated their valence states using Mössbauer spectroscopy and also assessed their catalytic performances as CE materials. It was found that upon the conversion of n-type semiconductor α-Fe2O3 into p-type semiconductor FeS through the sulfurization process, the photoenergy conversion efficiency (PCE) was increased from 3.79% to 6.47% which is comparable with Pt. This increment might be related to the higher amount of electron-hole pairs and higher electrical conductivity, as well as the mixed valence of Fe element in the iron sulfide which can facilitate the transfer of electrons to the electrolyte. Furthermore, the FeS NRs show a much better long-term stability than Pt due to the interconnected conductive paths and excellent mechanical stability endowed by the one-dimensional morphology.

Synthesis and characterization of carbon based counter electrode for dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) using sugar free as a carbon material

Dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are a low cost alternative to silicon-based and thin film solar cells. Usually DSSCs utilize platinum to catalyze the iodine redox couple and complete the electric circuit. Though, platinum is an excellent catalytic material for use in preparation of counter electrodes (CEs) for DSSCs but it is expensive. Alternatives to replacement of platinum (Pt) that have been examined are carbon materials, conductive polymers. In this work, counter electrode for DSSCs was fabricated using carbon material obtained from carbonization of sugar free at high temperature. Slurry of the carbon produced by carbonization was made with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as a surfactant and a coating was obtained by doctor blading the slurry over the FTO glass substrate. The DSSCs based on produced carbon CE show a maximum power conversion efficiency of 6.72% (area 0.25cm2), which is comparable to 8.19% of the cell with the conventional Pt CE at the same experimental conditions. The current density (Jsc) and open circuit voltage (VOC) of the DSSCs was 17.10mAcm−2 and 0.66V respectively.

Photovoltaic and EIS Performance of SnO2/SWCNTS Based – Sensitized Solar Cell

Dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) is a type of thin film and third generation of photovoltaic devices. In this research, DSSC using tin dioxide/single wall carbon nanotube (SnO2/SWCNT) was successfully fabricated using doctor blade technique. The objective of this work is to determine the optimum concentration of SWCNT in SnO2-based DSSC. The thin films were varied with different SWCNT concentrations at 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3% and 0.4% which acts as photoanode while Pt-Graphene was used as the counter electrode in DSSC. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) determined the surface roughness of the thin films. The pattern of X-ray Diffraction (XRD) shows the thin film's structure and the crystallite size. The Uv-Vis result showed the bandgap of the thin films. The structural (AFM and XRD) and optical (Uv-Vis) analysis were done in order to analyse the factors that influence the performance of the DSSC. The electrochemical impedance analysis was also performed to investigate the electron transport inside the DSSC.