Dye-sensitized solar cells with high-performance electrodeposited gold/polyaniline composite counter electrodes

Electrodeposited gold/polyaniline (Au/PANI) composite film on stainless steel is used as counter electrode of dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). The influence of gold concentration on the performance of DSSCs has been investigated. The Au/PANI composite has a rough and porous structure and shows a large cathodic current density~5.08 mA/cm2, low charge transfer resistance~3.26 Ω cm−2 and enhanced conductivity~57 S cm−1, that results in excellent electrocatalytic activity for I3− reduction. Power conversion efficiency~6.71% of DSSC is achieved with Au/PANI composite counter electrode, which is greater than thermally decomposed Pt based counter electrode (6.18%). This work demonstrates a low-cost substitute of platinum for commercialization of DSSCs.