Transparent Platinum Counter Electrode Prepared by Polyol Reduction for Bifacial, Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Pt catalytic nanoparticles on F-doped SnO₂/glass substrates were prepared by polyol reduction below 200 °C. The polyol reduction resulted in better transparency of the counter electrode and high power-conversion efficiency (PCE) of the resultant dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) compared to conventional thermal reduction. The PCEs of the DSSCs with 5 μm-thick TiO₂ photoanodes were 6.55% and 5.01% under front and back illumination conditions, respectively. The back/front efficiency ratio is very promising for efficient bifacial DSSCs.