Cu2ZnSnS4, a Fascinating Counter Electrode for TiO2-Free Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Since innovation, different dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have endeavored with additional components to escalate the efficiency, cost-effectiveness and long-term stability. Various approaches have been executed to reduce the amount of costly platinum (Pt) used in DSSCs and/or to explore cheaper alternatives to Pt. In this work, cheaper elements based quaternary chalcogenide alloy; Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) has been projected as a prominent counter electrode (CE) candidate to Pt in DSSCs. The CZTS thin film has been developed by an in-situ synthesis employing a hydrothermal technique and further evaluating various physicochemical characterization. Our results manifest that using the CZTS CE, a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 4.3 % was exhibited for TiO2 based photoanode. The highest PCE of 6.5 % was achieved for BaSnO3 based photoanode, a promising alternative oxide to TiO2 photoanode. This work further signifies a unique combination of newly developed BaSnO3(BSO)-CZTS DSSCs, could be a promising competitor to TiO2-Pt DSSCs.

Automated summary

The study showed that utilizing CZTS as the counter electrode resulted in a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 4.3% for TiO2-based photoanodes. The highest PCE achieved was 6.5% for BaSnO3-based photoanodes, presenting a promising alternative oxide to TiO2 photoanodes. This work suggests that the newly developed BSO-CZTS DSSCs could be a competitive alternative to TiO2-Pt DSSCs.