PtZn nanoalloy counter electrodes as a new avenue for highly efficient dye-sensitized solar cells

This work presents an efficient catalyst material for counter electrodes (CEs) in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) using an inexpensive and ecologically sustainable manufacturing method. For this purpose, bimetallic PtZn nanoparticles are synthesized on a fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate using dry plasma reduction (DPR) under atmospheric pressure. High resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) are used to analyze the morphology and chemical composition of the developed materials. In order to achieve high catalytic activity and excellent electrical properties in the developed material, the chemical composition of the PtxZn1-x (0 <= x <= 1) alloy is controlled through optimizing the volume ratio of the Pt and Zn precursors used to synthesize the PtZn alloy. It is found that the Pt0.9Zn0.1 alloy exhibits the lowest value of R-ct = 0.81 Omega among all PtZn alloy electrodes. As a result, an efficiency of 8.04% with J(sc) = 15.76 mAcm(-2), Voc = 725 mV, and FF = 70.34 is achieved. The obtained efficiency is higher than that of 7.00% for a device using a Pt1Zn0 CE. The obtained results indicate that the PtZn alloy fabricated using DPR is an alternative CE material for highly efficient DSSCs. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.