Materials (Oct 2020)
Facile Synthesis of Nanoporous NiS Film with Inverse Opal Structure as Efficient Counter Electrode for DSSCs
Abstract
To satisfy the high requirement of catalytic activity for efficient dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), a novel nanoporous NiS film with inverse opal structure and outstanding electrocatalytic properties was prepared by a facile template-assisted electrodeposition method. The inverse opal structure makes the film have a larger specific surface area and more catalytic sites, thereby result to a higher electrocatalytic activity. Compared with the flat NiS/FTO electrode, this kind of nanoporous NiS film with inverse opal structure has higher catalytic activity and can be used as a cheap and efficient Pt-free electrode to replace the traditional Pt/FTO electrode. It is of great significance to reduce the cost and promote the wide application of DSSCs. This study opens up a new experimental exploration for further improving the catalytic activity of NiS electrode and the according photovoltaic efficiency of DSSCs. The template-assisted electrodeposition method proposed in this work provides a facile method for morphology control and an easy to be realized way to optimize the catalytic performance of the metal sulfides counter electrode.
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