title: Synergistic catalytic effect of a composite (CoS/PEDOT:PSS) counter electrode on triiodide reduction in dye-sensitized solar cells.
abstract: Inorganic/organic nanocomposite counter electrodes comprised of sheetlike CoS nanoparticles dispersed in polystyrenesulfonate-doped poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (CoS/PEDOT:PSS) offer a synergistic effect on catalytic performance toward the reduction of triiodide for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), yielding 5.4% power conversion efficiency, which is comparable to that of the conventional platinum counter electrode (6.1%). The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry measurements revealed that the composite counter electrodes exhibited better catalytic activity, fostering rate of triiodide reduction, than that of pristine PEDOT: PSS electrode. The simple preparation of composite (CoS/PEDOT:PSS) electrode at low temperature with improved electrocatalytic properties are feasible to apply in flexible substrates, which is at most urgency for developing novel counter electrodes for lightweight flexible solar cells.
authors.affiliation: Center for Next Generation Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells, WCU Program Department of Energy Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul 133-791, South Korea.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sudhagar
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nagarajan
authors.forename: Yong-Gun
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Donghoon
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Taewook
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Son
authors.forename: Woohyung
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Miyoung
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Heo
authors.forename: Kyoungjun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jongok
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Won
authors.forename: Yong Soo
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kang
mesh_terms: D002384:Catalysis; D004563:Electrochemistry / Q000379:methods*; D004566:Electrodes; D053761:Nanocomposites / Q000737:chemistry*; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D036103:Nanotechnology; D013876:Thiophenes / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D013876:Thiophenes