Electrospun carbon nanofibers with surface-attached platinum nanoparticles as cost-effective and efficient counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells
27-12-2017 19:36
Carbon nanofibers with controllable surface-attached Pt nanoparticles (ECNFs-PtNPs) were prepared by electrospinning followed by carbonization and subsequent Pt nanoparticle growth via redox reaction.•The hierarchical ECNFs-PtNPs were employed as cost-effective counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs).•The effects of size, morphology, and loading of Pt nanoparticles on performance of DSCs were investigated.•DSCs with ECNFs-PtNPs counter electrode demonstrated excellent solar power conversion efficiency which is equivalent or even higher than that of conventional DSCs made with Pt counter electrode.