Nanoflower-like P-doped Nickel Oxide as a Catalytic Counter Electrode for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

• Published in: Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 12; no. 22; p. 4036
• Main Authors: Chen, Yi-Lin, Huang, Yi-June, Yeh, Min-Hsin, Fan, Miao-Syuan, Lin, Cheng-Tai, Chang, Ching-Cheng, Ramamurthy, Vittal, Ho, Kuo-Chuan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 17.11.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Alcohol; Catalysis; counter electrode; dye-sensitized solar cell; Dye-sensitized solar cells; Dyes; Efficiency; Electrodes; Electrolytes; Electron transport; Energy conversion efficiency; flower-like morphology; Graphene; Iodides; Ions; Morphology; Nanoparticles; Nickel; Nickel oxides; Phosphorus; phosphorus-doped nickel oxide; Platinum; Polyesters; rear illumination; Solar batteries; Solar cells; Spectrum analysis; United States; Japan; United States > US; Switzerland; counter electrode; flower-like morphology; phosphorus-doped nickel oxide; dye-sensitized solar cell; rear illumination
• ISSN: 2079-4991; 2079-4991
• DOI: 10.3390/nano12224036

Flower-like phosphorus-doped nickel oxide (P-NiO) is proposed as a counter electrode (CE) for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The flower-like nickel oxide essentially serves as the matrix for the CE, which is expected to promote a two-dimensional electron transport pathway. The phosphorus is intended to improve the catalytic ability by creating more active sites in the NiO for the catalysis of triiodide ions (I3−) to iodide ions (I−) on the surface of the CE. The P-NiO is controlled by a sequencing of precursor concentration, which allows the P-NiO to possess different features. The debris aggregation occurs in the P-NiO-1, while the P-NiO-0.75 leads to the incomplete flower-like nanosheets. The complete flower-like morphology can be observed in the P-NiO-0.5, P-NiO-0.25 and P-NiO-0.1 catalytic electrodes. The DSSC with the P-NiO-0.5 CE achieves a power conversion efficiency (η) of 9.05%, which is better than that of the DSSC using a Pt CE (η = 8.51%); it also performs better than that with the Pt CE, even under rear illumination and dim light conditions. The results indicate the promising potential of the P-NiO CE to replace the expensive Pt CE.