title: Transition metal selenides as efficient counter-electrode materials for dye-sensitized solar cells.
abstract: Exploiting an alternative of the Pt-based counter-electrode materials for the triiodide reduction reaction has become a major interest in the fundamental research of dye-sensitized solar cells. Transition-metal selenides have recently been demonstrated as promising non-precious metal electrocatalysts for the triiodide reduction reaction. Herein, we prepared a series of transition-metal selenides via a free-reductant solvothermal method and used them as counter-electrodes in high efficiency dye-sensitized solar cells. The electrochemical results showed that these selenides had excellent catalytic activity for the reduction of the triiodine/iodine couple, and except for MoSe2, the conversion efficiencies of the corresponding dye-sensitized solar cells were comparable to the sputtered Pt counter-electrode. Theoretical investigation clearly revealed that the unsatisfactory performance of MoSe2 mainly originated from the processes of adsorption and charge-transfer. These findings can help to better understand the electrocatalytic processes and thus offer some useful guidelines to develop more efficient electrochemical catalysts.
authors.affiliation: State Key laboratory of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemistry, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, P. R. China. shiyantao@dlut.edu.cn and College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Anhui Science and Technology University, Fengyang, Anhui 233100, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Jiahao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: State Key laboratory of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemistry, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, P. R. China. shiyantao@dlut.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Suxia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: State Key laboratory of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemistry, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, P. R. China. shiyantao@dlut.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yantao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: State Key laboratory of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemistry, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, P. R. China. shiyantao@dlut.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Ce
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hao
authors.affiliation: College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Anhui Science and Technology University, Fengyang, Anhui 233100, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Xuchun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: School Petroleum and Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Panjin Campus, Panjin 124221, P. R. China. tinglima@dlut.edu.cn and Graduate School of Life Science and Systems Engineering Kyushu Institute of Technology, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 808-0196, Japan.
authors.forename: Tingli
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ma