Reactively sputtered nickel nitride as electrocatalytic counter electrode for dye- and quantum dot-sensitized solar cells
نویسندگان
چکیده
Nickel nitride electrodes were prepared by reactive sputtering of nickel under a N2 atmosphere at room temperature for application in mesoscopic dye- or quantum dot- sensitized solar cells. This facile and reliable method led to the formation of a Ni2N film with a cauliflower-like nanostructure and tetrahedral crystal lattice. The prepared nickel nitride electrodes exhibited an excellent chemical stability toward both iodide and polysulfide redox electrolytes. Compared to conventional Pt electrodes, the nickel nitride electrodes showed an inferior electrocatalytic activity for the iodide redox electrolyte; however, it displayed a considerably superior electrocatalytic activity for the polysulfide redox electrolyte. As a result, compared to dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs), with a conversion efficiency (η) = 7.62%, and CdSe-based quantum dot-sensitized solar cells (QDSCs, η = 2.01%) employing Pt counter electrodes (CEs), the nickel nitride CEs exhibited a lower conversion efficiency (η = 3.75%) when applied to DSCs, but an enhanced conversion efficiency (η = 2.80%) when applied to CdSe-based QDSCs.
منابع مشابه
Recent development of carbon nanotubes materials as counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells
Dye-sensitized solar cells present promising low-cost alternatives to the conventional Silicon (Si)-based solar cells. The counter electrode generally consists of Pt deposited onto FTO plate. Since Pt is rare and expensive metal, nanostructured carbonaceous materials have been widely investigated as a promising alternative to replace it. Carbon nanotubes have shown significant properties such...
متن کاملComparison of Transparent Nickel Doped Cobalt Sulfide and Platinum Counter Electrodes Used in Quasi-Solid State Dye Sensitized Solar Cells
Transparent nickel doped cobalt sulfide was fabricated on a SnO2:F electrode and tested as an efficient electrocatalyst and as an alternative to the expensive platinum counter electrode. In order to investigate how this electrode could affect the electrical characteristics of a dye-sensitized solar cell, we manufactured cells with the same TiO2 photoanode sensitized with dye (N719) and employin...
متن کاملTransition metal selenides as efficient counter-electrode materials for dye-sensitized solar cells.
Exploiting an alternative of the Pt-based counter-electrode materials for the triiodide reduction reaction has become a major interest in the fundamental research of dye-sensitized solar cells. Transition-metal selenides have recently been demonstrated as promising non-precious metal electrocatalysts for the triiodide reduction reaction. Herein, we prepared a series of transition-metal selenide...
متن کاملSILAR Sensitization as an Effective Method for Making Efficient Quantum Dot Sensitized Solar Cells
CdSe quantum dots were in situ deposited on various structures of TiO2 photoanode by successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR). Various sensitized TiO2 structures were integrated as a photoanode in order to make quantum dot sensitized solar cells. High power conversion efficiency was obtained; 2.89 % (Voc=524 mV, Jsc=9.78 mA/cm2, FF=0.56) for the cells that sensitized by SILAR meth...
متن کاملElectrocatalytic sulfur electrodes for CdS/CdSe quantum dot-sensitized solar cells.
We have fabricated highly efficient CdS/CdSe quantum dot-sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs) featuring low-cost cobalt sulfide (CoS) counter electrodes. Under 100 mW cm(-2) irradiation, the CdS/CdSe QDSSC featuring a CoS electrode provided an energy conversion efficiency as high as 3.4%.
متن کامل