In this work, Zirconium nitride (ZrN) with poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) was explored as a counter electrode for dye-sensitize solar cells (DSSCs). The Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were exploited to characterize the ZrN/PEDOT:PSS films.  The photocurrent density-voltage measurements were carried out to evaluate the performance of DSSCs with ZrN/PEDOT:PSS composite electrodes. It was found that the DSSC with an optimized ZrN/PEDOT:PSS composite counter electrode exhibited 6.68% power conversion efficiency, which is comparable to that of a DSSC with an expensive Pt-counter electrode. Furthermore, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were employed to reveal the catalytic mechanism of ZrN/PEDOT:PSS for the reduction of triiodide to iodide.

Efficient ZrN-based counter electrodes for dye-sensitized solar cells

246th National Meeting (2013)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.