Electrochemically Deposited Polypyrrole for Counter Electrode of Quasi-Solid-State Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell

In this study, quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells (QSS-DSSCs) were fabricated by employing polypyrrole (PPy)-functionalized counter electrodes and an iodine-based gel electrolyte. The PPy film was fabricated on a fluorine-doped tin oxide substrate by simple potentiostatic electrodeposition in an aqueous solution using a pyrrole monomer as the precursor. The prepared polypyrrole counter electrode was used in a QSS-DSSC and characterized by scanning electron microscopy and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The use of PPy counter electrodes was judged to be acceptable for practical applications because they were only 21% less efficient than counter electrodes fabricated with Pt.