Facile Synthesis of Nanoporous NiS Film with Inverse Opal Structure as Efficient Counter Electrode for DSSCs

• Main Authors: Xu Chen, Yang Zhang, Yashuai Pang, Qiwei Jiang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-10-01
• Series: Materials
• Subjects: electrocatalytic activity; nanoporous NiS film; template method; dye-sensitized solar cells; counter electrode
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/13/20/4647

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.