title: Transparent metal selenide alloy counter electrodes for high-efficiency bifacial dye-sensitized solar cells.
abstract: The exploration of cost-effective and transparent counter electrodes (CEs) is a persistent objective in the development of bifacial dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Transparent counter electrodes based on binary-alloy metal selenides (M-Se; M=Co, Ni, Cu, Fe, Ru) are now obtained by a mild, solution-based method and employed in efficient bifacial DSSCs. Owing to superior charge-transfer ability for the I(-) /I3 (-) redox couple, electrocatalytic activity toward I3 (-) reduction, and optical transparency, the bifacial DSSCs with CEs consisting of a metal selenide alloy yield front and rear efficiencies of 8.30 % and 4.63 % for Co0.85 Se, 7.85 % and 4.37 % for Ni0.85 Se, 6.43 % and 4.24 % for Cu0.50 Se, 7.64 % and 5.05 % for FeSe, and 9.22 % and 5.90 % for Ru0.33 Se in comparison with 6.18 % and 3.56 % for a cell with an electrode based on pristine platinum, respectively. Moreover, fast activity onset, high multiple start/stop capability, and relatively good stability demonstrate that these new electrodes should find applications in solar panels.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Marine Chemistry and Technology, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China and Institute of Materials Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, 238 Songling Road, Laoshan District, Qingdao 266100 (P.R. China).
authors.forename: Yanyan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.forename: Qunwei
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Benlin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Liangmin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yu
keywords: alloys; electrocatalysis; energy conversion; metal selenides; solar cells