Issue 101, 2015

Hydrothermal synthesis of CoMoO4/Co9S8 hybrid nanotubes based on counter electrodes for highly efficient dye-sensitized solar cells

Abstract

CoMoO4/Co9S8 hybrid nanotubes were fabricated by a simple two-step hydrothermal method, which was similar to that for preparing Co9S8 nanotubes. Then the CoMoO4/Co9S8 nanotubes were coated onto fluorine-doped tin oxide glass to fabricate a counter electrode (CE) by spin-casting. Field emission scanning electron microscopy images show that the introduction of CoMoO4 to Co9S8 makes the surface of the CoMoO4/Co9S8 nanotubes rougher. Cyclic voltammetry shows that the electrocatalytic activity of the CoMoO4/Co9S8 CE is similar to that of a Pt CE when the (NH4)2MoO4 content was 60 wt%. Meanwhile, the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and Tafel measurements demonstrated that the CoMoO4/Co9S8 CE had smaller values of Rs and Rct than a Pt CE. The dye-sensitized solar cells assembled with a CoMoO4/Co9S8 CE achieved excellent values of open-circuit voltage (0.743 V), short-circuit current density (17.276 mA cm−2), fill factor (0.670) and a wonderful power conversion efficiency (8.60%), which is higher than that of DSSCs with a Co9S8 CE (7.69%) or a Pt CE (8.13%) under the light intensity of 100 mW cm−2 (AM 1.5 G).

Graphical abstract: Hydrothermal synthesis of CoMoO4/Co9S8 hybrid nanotubes based on counter electrodes for highly efficient dye-sensitized solar cells

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
23 Aug 2015
Accepted
14 Sep 2015
First published
21 Sep 2015

RSC Adv., 2015,5, 83029-83035

Author version available

Hydrothermal synthesis of CoMoO4/Co9S8 hybrid nanotubes based on counter electrodes for highly efficient dye-sensitized solar cells

J. Huo, J. Wu, M. Zheng, Y. Tu and Z. Lan, RSC Adv., 2015, 5, 83029 DOI: 10.1039/C5RA17026E

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