Chemical deposition of platinum on metallic sheets as counterelectrodes for dye-sensitized solar cells

Platinum (Pt) layers were grown on metallic sheets, either stainless steel or nickel (Ni), by chemical deposition, and the resulting Pt-coated metallic sheets were used as counterelectrodes for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Compared with other methods of depositing Pt layers, chemical deposition is simple, low-temperature, and easy to scale-up for industrial applications. Thin metallic sheets were employed as the substrates for the Pt deposition because of their low cost, excellent electrical conduction capability, and flexibility. The Pt concentration of the plating solution plays an important role in the photovoltaic performance of the DSSC; higher Pt concentrations correlate with better photovoltaic performance. The DSSCs that use Ni sheets coated with chemically deposited Pt as the counterelectrodes were found to have lower series and charge transfer resistances compared with those based on stainless steel. The Ni-based DSSCs also exhibit higher fill factors and short-circuit currents, and therefore, better energy conversion efficiency. The best efficiency observed with the Ni-based DSSCs was 7.29%.