TiC/Pt composite catalyst as counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells with long-term stability and high efficiency

Titanium carbide/platinum (TiC/Pt) composites were prepared by a simple chemical route and subsequently introduced into dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) as counter electrode (CE) catalysts to improve the catalytic activity and reduce the cost of DSCs. The DSC using TiC/Pt (containing 0.12 wt% of Pt) CE showed high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 7.63%, higher than those of DSCs using TiC and Pt CEs (6.40% and 7.16%, respectively). After a long-term (one year) stability test, the PCE of the DSC using this CE retained 86.9% of its highest value, proving the outstanding durability of the TiC/Pt composite. In large-scale DSCs (55 mm x 75 mm), the DSC using TiC/Pt CE yielded a PCE of 4.98%, comparable to that of a DSC using Pt CE (4.94%). This work points out the feasibility of using TiC/Pt composite CEs in practical applications.