Petaled Molybdenum Disulfide Surfaces: Facile Synthesis of a Superior Cathode for QDSSCs

Quantum dot sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs) are in need of a highly active, stable, and inexpensive cathode material for practical devices. Here, a new, facile, hydrothermal preparation of nanostructured MoS2 is shown. Grown directly from a planar Mo metal foil, the MoS2 films have a petaled morphology that exposes a large number of catalytically active Mo edge sites, and are highly active for the electrochemical reduction of water and aqueous polysulfide. Preliminary results of its performance in solar devices are further presented, demonstrating superior QDSSC efficiency compared to the use of Pt cathodes.