Ternary platinum alloy counter electrodes for high-efficiency dye-sensitized 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 I 3 − , yielding maximum 8.71% efficiency in the optimized DSSC platforms in comparison with 7.10% for pure Pt based device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]