A dye-sensitized solar cell based on platinum nanotube counter electrode with efficiency of 9.05%

Platinum nanotubes (PNTs) are directly grown on fluorine-doped tin oxide substrates by a facile polycarbonate template method. Morphology observation and electrochemical measurements indicate that the PNTs show a one-dimensional structure, lower charge-transfer resistance, larger exchange current density and higher electrocatalytic activity for iodide/triiodide redox reaction. Using the PNT as counter electrode and MgO as block layer on TiO2 film, the fabricated dye-sensitized solar cell achieves a light-to-electric energy conversion efficiency of 9.05% under a simulated solar light irradiation of 100 mW cm−2, the efficiency is increased by 25.5% compared to that of DSSC based on conventional Pt counter electrode. Higher efficiency for the PNT electrode is due its one-dimensional nanostructure, large surface area and good electrochemical activity to iodide/triiodide couple.