A facile hydrothemal synthesis of MoS2@Co3S4 composites based on metal organic framework compounds as a high-efficiency liquid-state solar cell counter electrode

• Published in: Journal of alloys and compounds Vol. 831; p. 154910
• Main Authors: Liu, Shuang’an, Li, Zixiang, Zhao, Kaifeng, Hao, Menghui, Zhang, Zicai, Li, Ling, Zhang, Yucang, Zhang, Wenming
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Elsevier B.V 05.08.2020; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Catalytic activity; Catalytic converters; Cobalt sulfide; Composite materials; Counter electrode; Dye-sensitized solar cells; Dyes; Electrode materials; Electrodes; Facile hydrothemal synthesis; Metal-organic framework; Metal-organic frameworks; Molybdenum disulfide; Nanostructure; Photoelectricity; Photovoltaic cells; Synergistic effect; Transition metal sulfide; Facile hydrothemal synthesis; Dye-sensitized solar cells; Metal-organic framework; Transition metal sulfide; Counter electrode
• ISSN: 0925-8388; 1873-4669
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2020.154910

A hollow Co3S4 polyhedral loads MoS2 nanosheet composite MoS2@Co3S4-0.5 is prepared by hydrothermal method using Co-based metal organic framework material ZIF-67 as precursor. Hollow Co3S4 polyhedron and uniformly distributed MoS2 nanosheet structure can not only prevent MoS2 aggregation, but also increase the specific surface area of the material and expose more catalytically active sites. The composites afford a promising synergistic effect on the catalyzing of triiodide reduction. As a counter electrode material applied to dye-sensitized solar cells, MoS2@Co3S4-0.5 exhibits excellent catalytic activity, achieving a photoelectric conversion efficiency of 7.86%, which is superior to 6.99% of Pt counter electrode performance in dye-sensitized solar cells. This indicates that MoS2@Co3S4-0.5 composite material can be used to replace precious metal Pt as an efficient and low-cost counter electrode material in dye-sensitized solar cells. MoS2@Co3S4 composites are co-hydrothermally synthesized by thioacetamide, MoO42 and cobalt-based metal organic framework compound ZIF-67 precursor as a counter electrode (CE) for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) for the first time. The composite material based on MoS2@Co3S4 exhibits excellent photoelectric conversion efficiency (PCE). The spatial structure of the hollow polyhedral Co3S4 loaded MoS2 nanosheets increases the specific surface area of the material and exposes more catalytically active sites, which effectively improves the catalytic erformance and point and charge transport capability of the composite. The PCE (7.86%) exhibited by MoS2@Co3S4-0.5 composite is superior to Pt CE (6.99%) under the same conditions. The impressive results along with low cost and simple synthesis process demonstrated transition metal doping was a promising method to produce substitutes for Pt to reduce the cost of DSCs. [Display omitted] •MoS2@Co3S4 was applied as a counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells.•The solar cell produced 7.86% efficiency.