Pt nanoparticle/Si nanowire composites as an excellent catalytic counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells

Pt nanoparticle/Si nanowire composites are employed as the counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells. Si nanowires prevent metal nanoparticles from agglomeration. The density functional theory calculation shows that the adsorption energy of I atom on the Pt/Si interface is −0.8 eV, which is the optimal adsorption energy for triiodide reduction. The power conversion efficiency of device based on the Pt/SiNW electrode is 3.8% higher than that of the device based on Pt.366