Facile synthesis of Bi2S3-C composite microspheres as low-cost counter electrodes for dye-sensitized solar cellsElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c4ra08284b

• Main Authors: Zuo, Xue-Qin, Yang, Xiao, Zhou, Lei, Yang, Bo, Li, Guang, Tang, Huai-Bao, Zhang, Hai-Jun, Wu, Ming-Zai, Ma, Yong-Qing, Jin, Shao-Wei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 04.11.2014
• ISSN: 2046-2069
• DOI: 10.1039/c4ra08284b

Porous bismuth sulfide-carbon (Bi 2 S 3 -C) composite microspheres were synthesized via a facile solvothermal route and served as a low-cost counter electrode material for Pt-free dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The electrochemical performance analysis indicates that the Bi 2 S 3 -C electrode has lower charge transfer resistance at the electrolyte/electrode interface, smaller Nernst diffusion impedance of iodide in electrolyte and higher catalytic ability than the bare Bi 2 S 3 electrode. After optimization of the content of carbon, the DSSC with the Bi 2 S 3 -C counter electrode exhibited an excellent power conversion efficiency of 6.72%, which is comparable to that of the Pt-based DSSC (6.74%). The synergistic effect of the combination of conductive carbon and Bi 2 S 3 can significantly improve the photovoltaic performance of DSSCs.