Counter Electrode For Dye-sensitized Solar Cells Research Articles

MFe2O4(M=Co, Mn)@MG as an Efficient Counter Electrode for Dye-sensitized Solar Cells

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are considered as low-cost and eco-friendly alternatives for conventional silicon solar cells. Dye-sensitized metal oxide photoelectrode, electrolyte and counter electrode (CE) are the three major components of a DSSC. An ideal CE material should have superior electrocatalytic activity and distinguished conductivity, excellent chemical stability, and low cost. Noble metal Pt CE has an efficient capacity for collecting electrons from external circuits and facilitating the catalytic reduction of I3 - to I-. However, its high cost seriously restricts mass production and commercialization of DSSCs. Therefore, carbon composite materials, inorganic compounds, conducting polymers and their derivatives have been widely explored as CEs in DSSCs.Recently, multiple transition metals and their derivative have been investigated as the CE materials for DSSCs. Theoretically, binary or ternary transition metals display intrinsic electrocatalytic activity toward the reduction of I3 - with rapid charge-transfer ability and cost-effectiveness. Thus, transition-metal ferric acid MFe2O4 (M=Mn, Co) composited with modified graphene (MG) is a novel strategy to achieve an advanced CE material with remarkable electrochemical performance. As we all know, graphene microstructure has a lamellar structure. Through a process of catalytic reduction, a curly structure modified graphene not only displays a large specific surface area to facilitate charge transfer and promote catalytic performance during photoelectric conversion, but also the conjugated structure with continuous sp2 hybridized carbon centers can induce electronic mobility.Ferrite is a unique hierarchical nanostructure material mainly composed of transition metal (i.e., Co, Mn, Ni), iron (Fe), and oxygen (O). Transition-metal ions M2+ (M2+ =Mn2+, Co2+) have excellent electrocatalytic capability, and active Fe atoms can synergize with carbon atoms in graphene to significantly improve catalytic activity. This work offers a strategy to apply MFe2O4(M=Mn, Co)@MG composite as the CE of DSSCs to optimize catalytic sites and improve catalytic performance. The device based on the CoFe2O4@MG CE achieves a PCE of 7.78%, and the device based on MnFe2O4@MG CE has a PCE of 5.55%. Moreover, the device was prepared by a simple process with an excellent stability in the air atmosphere without encapsulation (maintaining 93.3% of an initial PCE after 30 days), which can facilitate large-scale production in the future.

Facile Synthesis of Nanoporous NiS Film with Inverse Opal Structure as Efficient Counter Electrode for DSSCs.

To satisfy the high requirement of catalytic activity for efficient dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), a novel nanoporous NiS film with inverse opal structure and outstanding electrocatalytic properties was prepared by a facile template-assisted electrodeposition method. The inverse opal structure makes the film have a larger specific surface area and more catalytic sites, thereby result to a higher electrocatalytic activity. Compared with the flat NiS/FTO electrode, this kind of nanoporous NiS film with inverse opal structure has higher catalytic activity and can be used as a cheap and efficient Pt-free electrode to replace the traditional Pt/FTO electrode. It is of great significance to reduce the cost and promote the wide application of DSSCs. This study opens up a new experimental exploration for further improving the catalytic activity of NiS electrode and the according photovoltaic efficiency of DSSCs. The template-assisted electrodeposition method proposed in this work provides a facile method for morphology control and an easy to be realized way to optimize the catalytic performance of the metal sulfides counter electrode.

Enhanced electrochemical and photovoltaic performance for MoO3 nanorods at different calcination temperature based counter electrode in Pt-free dye-sensitized solar cells applications

Owing to increase in energy demands and depletion in fossil fuels, solar energy conversion is the reliable and sustainable one for future. Among the solar energy conversion techniques, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) have received much attention due to their ease of fabrication, cost-effectiveness, reliable and high proficiency in converting solar energy. The commercialization of DSSC is still hindered by usage of expensive materials like platinum counter electrodes. Therefore, researchers are focusing on developing low-cost and earth abundant alternatives. The present work involves hydrothermal synthesis of molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) at various temperature ranges such as 400, 500, 600 and 700 °C and several other characterizations through various analytical techniques. On increasing the temperature range, the MoO3 forms nanorod like structure. The synthesized materials are employed as counter electrode in DSSC, showed enhanced power conversion efficiency (PCE) on increasing the calcination temperature range. The maximum PCE of 4.13% is obtained for MoO3 calcined at 600 °C, which is highly comparable with the high cost platinum CE based DSSC.

Development of tungsten diselenide/polyaniline composite nanofibers as an efficient electrocatalytic counter electrode material for dye-sensitized solar cell

In this work, polyaniline nanofibers (PANI NFs) were prepared by a chemical oxidative polymerization method and the tungsten diselenide nanoparticles (WSe2 NPs) were prepared by a simple hydrothermal method. By making use of both these materials, WSe2/PANI (1:1, 1:2 and 2:1 wt%) composite nanofibers were prepared by mixing them at various ratios with the help of ultrasonication method to use as an efficient counter electrode (CE) for dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). The physio-chemical behaviour of pristine PANI, WSe2, std. Pt and WSe2/PANI composite nanofibers were investigated through X-ray diffractometer (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, field emission scanning microscope (FESEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX) studies. The electrocatalytic activity of PANI, WSe2, Std. Pt and WSe2/PANI CEs were studied by using cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance and Tafel polarization studies. From the electrochemical studies, we observed that WSe2/PANI (1:1 wt%) CE has good electrocatalytic behaviour towards the reduction of iodide/triiodide (I-/I3-) than WSe2/PANI (1:2 and 2:1 wt%), pristine PANI, WSe2, and Std. Pt. Finally, WSe2/PANI (1:1 wt%), pristine PANI, WSe2, and std. Pt CEs based DSSC were fabricated and tested. The WSe2/PANI (1:1 wt%) exhibits an outstanding photoconversion efficiency (PCE) of 8.22%. It revealed that WSe2/PANI (1:1 wt%) CE has excellent electrocatalytic activity than the pristine PANI, WSe2, and std. Pt and could be used as an alternative to Pt CE for DSSC.

Conductivity/Electrochemical Study of Polyvinyl pyrrolidone-Poly(vinyl alcohol)/I3\u2212 Thin Film Electrolyte for Integrated Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells and Supercapacitors

The current era focuses not only on producing solar energy but also preserving it for future use. Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) and supercapacitors (SC) are such energy-based devices. DSSCs capture the solar energy and SCs store this captured energy. A natural anthocyanin dye extracted from Garcinia indica (kokum fruit) was used in the DSSCs. SnO2, one of the promising electrode materials for DSSC, was synthesized via a microwave technique. Blend polymer electrolytes (BPE) were prepared through a solution casting technique. A polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) blend with varying concentrations of potassium iodide, along with iodine dopant, was prepared as a BPE electrolyte composition. The best of the PVA-PVP/KI composition was chosen using Nyquist plots of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Varying the temperature, the dielectric and conductivity study of the chosen composition was studied in detail. A fast/single-step synthesis technique, namely a laser-engraved approach, was used for few-layer graphene synthesis. This graphene serves as a common platform for the DSSC-SC integrated device: as a counter electrode in DSSC and graphene-graphene symmetric electrode in SC. A DSSC-SC integrated device was fabricated and characterized using various analytical and microscopy techniques. The integrated device showed a 0.42 fill factor and 0.56% efficiency. The discharge time for integrated DSSC-SC cells was found to be increased threefold.Graphical

Facile fabrication of reduced graphene oxide counter electrodes by laser engraver for dye-sensitized solar cell applications

Exploring alternative Pt-free counter electrode with low cost and high electrocatalytic activity is always a main focus at the frontier of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). In this study, a desktop laser engraver was applied to reduce graphene oxide (GO) film on a fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate, and the obtained graphene-based material was further used as counter electrode for DSSC. Additionally, this facile laser-scribing method was also adopted to fabricate a prototype of composite electrode via the combination of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and carbon black (CB) to enhance the specific surface area and active sites. A variety of characterizations including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were conducted to investigate the microstructures and catalytic properties of these carbon electrodes. The findings reveal that both of the DSSCs with laser-scribed carbon electrodes show evidently increasing photovoltaic performance, and the DSSC based on RGO/CB composite electrode even presents a higher power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 4.49%, comparable to 4.14% of the conventional Pt-based DSSC.

Highly Active Carbon-Based Electrocatalysts for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells: A Brief Review

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have emerged as promising alternatives to traditional silicon-based solar cells due to their relatively high conversion efficiency, low cost, flexibility, and environmentally benign fabrication processes. In DSSCs, platinum (Pt)-based materials used as the counter electrode (CE) exhibit the superior catalytic ability toward the reduction reaction of triiodide ions, which are attributed to their excellent catalytic activity and high electrical conductivity. However, Pt-based materials with high cost and limited supply hinder them from mass production. Developing highly active and stable CE materials without noble metals has been a persistent challenge for the practical application in DSSCs. Recently, a number of earth-abundant catalysts, especially carbon-based materials, display high activity, low cost, and good stability that render them attractive candidates to replace Pt in DSSCs. Herein, we will briefly review recent progress on carbon-based electrocatalysts as CEs in DSSC applications. The strategies of improving the catalytic activity of carbon-based materials such as structural engineering and/or heteroatom doping will be introduced. The active sites toward the reduction reaction of triiodide ions summarized from experimental results or theoretical calculation will also be discussed. Finally, the futuristic prospects and challenges of carbon-based electrocatalysts as CEs in DSSCs will be briefly mentioned.

Nitrogen-doped carbon encapsulating γ-MoC/Ni nanoparticles as efficient counter electrodes for dye-sensitized solar cells

The counter electrode (CE) is a crucial part in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). By catalyzing the reduction of the oxidized state to the reduced state for a redox couple (e.g. I3 −/I−) in electrolyte, the CE fulfills the vital role of completing the electric circuit. Developing efficient and economical electrocatalytic materials to replace the traditional platinum (Pt) CE has attracted attention. In the present study, γ-MoC/Ni@NC material was used as a CE in DSSCs for the first time. This material was synthesized by solid-state pyrolysis of related compounds of molybdate, oxalate, melamine and nickel salts. The DSSC with this composite catalyst achieves power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 5.26%, which is equivalent to the one based on the traditional Pt CE (5.65%). Although the PCE of DSSC based on γ-MoC/Ni@NC is slightly lower than that of Pt, the synthesis method is simple and cost-effective. This study paves the way for further development of highly active, simple processing, inexpensive CE materials in DSSCs.

Self-Assembly Synthesis of the MoS2/PtCo Alloy Counter Electrodes for High-Efficiency and Stable Low-Cost Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.

In this work, MoS2 microspheres/PtCo-alloy nanoparticles (MoS2/PtCo-alloy NPs) were composited via a novel and facile process which MoS2 is functionalized by poly (N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (PVP) and self-assembled with PtCo-alloy NPs. This new composite shows excellent electrocatalytic activity and great potential for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) as a counter electrode (CE) material. Benefiting from heterostructure and synergistic effects, the MoS2/PtCo-alloy NPs exhibit high electrocatalytic activity, low charge-transfer resistance and stability in the cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) test. Meanwhile, a high power-conversion efficiency (PCE) of 8.46% is achieved in DSSCs with MoS2/PtCo-alloy NP CEs, which are comparable to traditional Pt CEs (8.45%). This novel composite provides a new high-performance, stable and cheap choice for CEs in DSSCs.

First-Principles Studies on Structural, Electronic and Optical Properties of Fe-doped Nis2 Counter Electrode for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells using Dft+U

The structural, electronic and optical properties of nickel disulfide (NiS2) and iron (Fe)-doped NiS2 were computed by using first-principles calculations through the density functional theory (DFT) method. The Fe was used as a dopant element to understand the behavior and the key mechanism of Fe-doped NiS2 as a counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). The results indicated that the structural properties of the NiS2 as the cubic crystal structure with the space group Pa3 (205) (pyrite structure type) agree with experimental data. The density of states (DOS) of NiS2 and Fe-doped NiS2 shows a gapless bandgap due to Mott insulator behavior. As for optical properties, the optical absorption of NiS2 is shifted towards the infrared (IR) region when doping with Fe while the conductivity of Fe-doped NiS2 is slightly higher in conductivity. These optical properties show that Fe-doped NiS2 is good for photocatalytic activity and may provide an excellent electron charge transfer for a counter electrode in DSSC

In-situ growth NiMoS3 nanoparticles onto electrospinning synthesis carbon nanofibers as a low cost platinum-free counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) possess a recent explosion of interest because of its high efficiency, low cost and good stability. It is important to finely optimize the catalytic of the electrode to achieve better performance. In this paper, we fabricate the transition metal sulfide composites (NiMoS3/CNFs) by electrospinning and vulcanization method. The combination of transition metal sulfide and carbon nanofibers can provide highly electrocatalysts for counter electrode (CE) of DSSCs. Remarkably, DSSCs prepared by this CE have much higher catalytic activity and stable durability than Platinum (Pt) CE. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of DSSCs use NiMoS3/CNFs CEs is 8.70%, outperforming the value of Pt CE (7.53%). It demonstrates that the NiMoS3/CNFs CEs exhibited potential reference for next generation CE materials in DSSCs.

In situ synthesis of cobalt triphosphate on carbon paper for efficient electrocatalyst in dye-sensitized solar cell

The cobalt triphosphide (CoP3) was grew on carbon paper (CP) by using a hydrothermal method and served as counter electrode (CE) catalyst in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The morphology of the CoP3/CP CE exhibits a regular fibrous structure, which provides a guarantee for its good electrochemical performance of the CE made from the cyclic voltammetry, Tafel test, etc. Various photoelectric performance tests also show that the DSSCs with CoP3/CP CE achieves good photoelectric conversion efficiency of 6.84% under 100 mW·cm−2 illumination, which can compare to that of the DSSC assembled with the Pt (6.79%) CE. Metal phosphides are rarely used as CEs in DSSCs, and they will have a good promising alternative to the Pt electrode in the future.

CoNi2S4-reduced graphene oxide nanohybrid: An excellent counter electrode for Pt-free DSSC

Dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) technology could become a low-cost solution for solar energy harvesting if the use of expensive dyes and Pt can be avoided. This work reports the development of a novel nanohybrid based on CoNi2S4 nanorods embedded on sheets of reduced graphene oxide (RGO), which can serve as excellent counter electrode for DSSC showing great promise to replace Pt. The structural and morphological characterisation of the nanocomposite synthesised using a simple one step hydrothermal method revealed well defined crystalline nanorods of CoNi2S4 (with length 195 nm and diameter 8.34 nm) uniformly embedded on the surfaces of the RGO sheets (~2.55 μm in size). The morphology and size of the nanorods were found to be dependent on the duration of the hydrothermal reaction. The optimized CoNi2S4/RGO nanohybrid film when used as counter electrode in DSSC, photo conversion efficiency as high as 9.22% was recorded, a value almost equal to that obtained from the DSSC fabricated with Pt as counter electrode and much higher than that with bare CoNi2S4 justifying its potential use in Pt-free DSSC. The improved performance of the electrode have been attributed to the hierarchical nanohybrid structure consisting of catalytically active 1D CoNi2S4 nanorods embedded on electrically conducting 2D RGO sheets that provides fast ion diffusion pathways, large accessible surface area and good chemical and thermal stability.

Water-dispersible polyaniline/graphene oxide counter electrodes for dye-sensitized solar cells: Influence of synthesis route on the device performance

The fabrication of efficient and platinum-free counter electrodes (CE) is a highlighted topic for the development of advanced dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Here, we developed water-dispersible polyaniline/graphene oxide (PANI-GO)-based CEs, which can be straightforwardly prepared by deposition of the nanocomposite dispersion onto FTO substrate. The water-dispersibility properties of PANI-GO allow the formation of smooth films without organic solvents making it a promising material for high-scalable, reduced cost and ‘greener’ fabrication of energy conversion-storage devices. Aqueous dispersions of PANI-GO nanocomposites were prepared by two different routes: physical mixture of PANI and GO, and in situ polymerization of aniline in GO aqueous dispersion. DSSC assembled with emeraldine salt polyaniline (PANI-ES)-based CE generated current density (Jsc) of 12.37 mA/cm2 and power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 5.09%, which was comparable to the device prepared with Pt-based CE (PCE of 5.15%). The addition of GO is found to increase the Jsc to 12.91 mA/cm2 and the fill factor to 67% in CE containing 0.45 wt% of GO (in respect to aniline during synthesis) where the PCE is boosted to 6.12%, which is about 20% higher than Pt-based CE. The investigation of both morphological features and spectroscopic properties showed that PANI-GO nanocomposites prepared by in situ route have dissimilar protonation and oxidation states when compared with those prepared by physical mixture route. These results give insights into the role of GO in tuning PANI chemical and physical properties. Also offers a simpler and more efficient methodology for the synthesis of new CEs for DSSCs.

Stoichiometry-Controlled MoxW1-xTe2 Nanowhiskers: A Novel Electrocatalyst for Pt-Free Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.

Novel polymorphic MoxW1-xTe2-based counter electrodes possess high carrier mobility, phase-dependent lattice distortion, and surface charge density wave to boost the charge-transfer kinetics and electrocatalytic activity in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Here, we report the syntheses of stoichiometry-controlled binary and ternary MoxW1-xTe2 nanowhiskers directly on carbon cloth (CC), denoted by MoxW1-xTe2/CC, with an atmospheric chemical vapor deposition technique. The synthesized MoxW1-xTe2/CC samples, including 1T'-MoTe2/CC, Td-WTe2/CC, Td-Mo0.26W0.73Te2.01/CC, and 1T'- & Td-Mo0.66W0.32Te2.02/CC, were then employed as different counter electrodes to study their electrochemical activities and efficiencies in DSSCs. The photovoltaic parameter analysis manifests that MoxW1-xTe2/CCs are more stable than a standard Pt/CC in the I-/I3- electrolyte examined by cyclic voltammetry over 100 cycles. A 1T'- & Td-Mo0.66W0.32Te2.02/CC-based DSSC can achieve a photocurrent density of 16.29 mA cm-2, a maximum incident photon-to-electron conversion efficiency of 90% at 550 nm excitation, and an efficiency of 9.40%, as compared with 8.93% of the Pt/CC counterpart. Moreover, the 1T'- & Td-Mo0.66W0.32Te2.02/CC shows lower charge-transfer resistance (0.62 Ω cm2) than a standard Pt/CC (1.19 Ω cm2) in electrocatalytic reactions. Notably, MoxW1-xTe2 nanowhiskers act as an electron expressway by shortening the path of carrier transportation in the axial direction from a counter electrode to electrolytic ions to enhance the reaction kinetics in DSSCs. This work demonstrates that the nanowhisker-structured 1T'- & Td-Mo0.66W0.32Te2.02/CC with high carrier mobility and robust surface states can serve as a highly efficient counter electrode in DSSCs to replace the conventional Pt counter electrode for electrocatalytic applications.

Integration of Reduced Graphene Oxide in Platinum-Free Counter Electrode of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) is a part of the third-generation family which have been developed under substantial research for almost three decades due to their low-cost fabrication, low toxicity, and can be manufactured on the flexible substrate. However, the challenge for the improvement of current DSSC is still opened, especially in the scope of efficiency, stability, and platinum (Pt)-free counter electrode. In this work, the incorporation of solution-processed rGO as a replacement for the Pt counter electrode DSSC is demonstrated. The rGO solutions with three different concentrations (1, 3, and 5 wt%) are utilized. The highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) of about 0.1 % is displayed by 5 wt% rGO solution based devices. The results reported in this work exhibited the high potential of solution-processed rGO as an efficient alternative material in the counter electrode of DSSC.

Electro-deposited SnSe on ITO: A low-cost and high-performance counter electrode for DSSCs

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) are among the interesting generations of solar cells that require further research to achieve industrial production. Current platinum (Pt) counter electrodes used in DSSCs is expensive and should be replaced by cheaper materials. In this study, we propose the tin-selenide (SnSe) material prepared on ITO substrates by the electrodeposition method as a Pt replacement. Our prepared materials demonstrated excellent electrocatalytic behavior and charge transport with iodide/triiodide electrolyte that is confirmed by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Our best DSSC showed a VOC of 657 mV, a JSC of 11.8 mA/cm2, and an FF of 63% resulting in an efficiency of 4.9% that was slightly lower than the DSSC fabricated with Pt counter electrode. Therefore, our study shows that the low cost and earth-abundant SnSe prepared by the electrodeposition method is a suitable replacement for Pt in DSSCs.

Conversion of CO2 to 3D graphene as counter electrode for food dye-sensitized solar cells

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) provide an efficient method to convert the solar energy into electricity. In this study, the reaction of CO2 and Na to produce 3D graphene as counter electrode (CE) for DSSCs was reported. DSSCs with graphene CE exhibited higher power conversion efficiency (PCE) compared with Pt CE. Furthermore, food dye Erythrosin B was employed to replace the expensive ruthenium based dyes (N719 or N3). This provided a novel approach for CO2 utilization on producing graphene and for fabricating low-cost DSSCs.

Interface Engineered Binary Platinum Free Alloy-based Counter Electrodes with Improved Performance in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

The high cost and platinum dissolution issues of counter electrodes (CEs) are two core problems for the development of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). In this work, different CEs based on binary alloy Ru81.09Co18.91, Ru80.55Se19.45 and Co20.85Se79.15 nanostructures for DSSCs were successfully synthesized and investigated by a facile and environmentally friendly approach. Here, we found that the Co20.85Se79.15 alloy CE-based device yields the higher photoelectric conversion efficiency of 7.08% compared with that (5.80%) of the DSSC using a pure Pt CE because of the larger number of active sites with improved charge transferability and reduced interface resistance by matching work function with the I3‒/I‒ redox electrolyte. The inexpensive synthesis method, cost-effectiveness and superior catalytic activity of the Co20.85Se79.15 alloy may open up a new avenue for the development of CEs for DSSCs in the near future.

Potential-reversal electrodeposited MoS2 thin film as an efficient electrocatalytic material for bifacial dye-sensitized solar cells

Seeking inexpensive, cost-effective fabrication, and highly effective Pt-free counter electrode (CE) electrocatalysts to replace the conventional Pt CE for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) is of great challenge. Here, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) thin films were directly electrodeposited on F-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrates via facile one-step potentiostatic (PS) and potential-reversal (PR) methods, which were exploited as the CE electrocatalysts for DSSC application. According to series of the electrochemical tests, the MoS2 CE electrodeposited by PR mode (PR-MoS2) had a superior electrocatalytic property for I3– reduction in DSSCs to that by PS mode (PS-MoS2). When PR-MoS2 was employed as a CE in a DSSC, the device achieved a satisfactory photoelectric conversion efficiency (PCE) of 8.77%, which is comparable to that based on the conventional Pt CE (9.01%). Meanwhile, the rear side illumination studies showed that the PCE of the DSSC using PR-MoS2 as a CE reached 4.82% and was equivalent to that using the Pt CE (5.67%), which is attributed to their similar transmittance property. This work provides a novel insight into preparing an electrodeposited PR-MoS2-based CE for bifacial DSSCs application.