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A promising but challenging problem for state-of-the-art solar cells is to persistently generate power in the daytime and dark. To address this profound issue, all-weather bifacial solar cells are built by combining long persistence phosphor (LPP) tailored fluorescent film with bifacial dye-sensitized solar cells. On behalf of the solar energy storage and fluorescent excitation behaviors of LPP phosphors, the so-called all-weather solar cells yield a maximized photoelectric conversion efficiency of 10.04% and a dark efficiency as high as 21%. Moreover, the newly launched all-weather solar cells with 32 modules can lighten a lamp, demonstrating a predictable application in future energy harvesting. The current work could also extend our knowledge to more advanced all-weather solar cells.

Theoretical understanding of the intrinsic mechanism for enhanced electrocatalytic activity and rational design for liquid-junction dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) are two persistent objectives in pursuing dual-functional counter electrode (CE) electrocatalysts with excellent electrochemical activity and stability. In the current work, we launch a strategy of synthesizing ternary platinum alloys (Pt-M-Ni, M = Co, Pd, Fe) CE and study on the synergistic effects of transition metals on catalytic activity. The preliminary results demonstrate that the ternary Pt-M-Ni alloy can markedly enhance the electrocatalytic behavior toward I3−, yielding maximum 8.71% efficiency in the optimized DSSC platforms in comparison with 7.10% for pure Pt based device.