Efficient Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Made from High Catalytic Ability of Polypyrrole@Platinum Counter Electrode

Polypyrrole@platinum (PPy@Pt) composite film was successfully synthesized by using a one-step electrochemical method and served as counter electrode (CE) for efficient dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The PPy@Pt CE with one-dimensional structure exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity and superior charge transfer resistance for I(−)/I(3)(−) electrolyte after being the cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy tested. The photocurrent-photovoltage curves were further used to calculate the theoretical photoelectric performance parameters of the DSSCs. The DSSC based on the PPy@Pt CE achieved a remarkable power conversion efficiency of 7.35 %, higher about 19.9 % than that of conventional Pt CE (6.13 %). This strategy provides a new opportunity for fabricating low-cost and highly efficient DSSCs.