Electroless deposition of platinum on indium tin oxide glass as the counterelectrode for dye-sensitized solar cells

A platinum (Pt) layer is electroless-deposited on indium tin oxide (ITO) glass substrate as the counterelectrode for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Compared with other methods of depositing Pt layer, electroless deposition is simple, low-temperature, and easy to scale-up for industrial application. The Pt concentration of the electroless plating solution is found to play an important role in the cell performance. With increasing the Pt concentration, i.e. the Pt loading on the ITO surface, the resultant Pt layer exhibits a porous structure. Owing to the porous structure, the Pt layer can provide more active surface area for triiodide reduction and thus reduces the charge-transfer resistance. The cell performance is promoted accordingly with increasing the Pt concentration. Energy conversion efficiency of 6.46%, short-circuit current density of 15.04 mA cm−2, open-circuit voltage of 0.68, and fill factor of 0.63 can be achieved for the DSSC employing electroless-Pt counterelectrode.