Ternary composite based on NiCo2O4/rGO/PANI as an efficient Pt free tri-iodide reducing agent for dye-sensitized solar cell application

The utilization of solar energy by virtue of which, an economically viable, steady and sustainable device fabrication are the need for future generation. In this regard, the replacement of platinum (Pt) free counter electrode (CE) in dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) is probed for widespread application. In this study, our aim is to improve the ability of charge transfer as well as to increase the active site with the enrichment of catalytic activity of CEs. NiCo2O4 decorated reduced graphene oxide (NCG) sheets were synthesized by chemical precipitation route and subsequently polymerized with aniline for NCG-polyaniline (PANI) complex for efficient CEs in DSSC. The prepared CE significantly amplifies the charge transfer capability of ternary complex and it is reflected for the proficient reduction towards I-/I-3 redox shuttles. The fabricated CE (NCG-PANI) yield maximum photo-to-electron conversion efficiency of 4.67% which is higher than NCG based DSSC (4.1%). The study suggests that NiCo2O4/rGO/PANI (NCG-PANI) CEs with higher electrocatalytic performance and efficient charge transfer activity prepared by cost effective technique could be potential for Pt-free DSSC applications.