Stoichiometry-Controlled MoW_1-Te₂ Nanowhiskers: A Novel Electrocatalyst for Pt-Free Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Novel polymorphic MoW_1-Te₂-based counter electrodes possess high carrier mobility, phase-dependent lattice distortion, and surface charge density wave to boost the charge-transfer kinetics and electrocatalytic activity in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Here, we report the syntheses of stoichiometry-controlled binary and ternary MoW_1-Te₂ nanowhiskers directly on carbon cloth (CC), denoted by MoW_1-Te₂/CC, with an atmospheric chemical vapor deposition technique. The synthesized MoW_1-Te₂/CC samples, including 1T'-MoTe₂/CC, TWTe₂/CC, TMo_0.26W_0.73Te_2.01/CC, and 1T'- & T-Mo_0.66W_0.32Te_2.02/CC, were then employed as different counter electrodes to study their electrochemical activities and efficiencies in DSSCs. The photovoltaic parameter analysis manifests that MoW_1-Te₂/CCs are more stable than a standard Pt/CC in the I^-/I₃^- electrolyte examined by cyclic voltammetry over 100 cycles. A 1T'- & T-Mo_0.66W_0.32Te_2.02/CC-based DSSC can achieve a photocurrent density of 16.29 mA cm^-2, a maximum incident photon-to-electron conversion efficiency of 90% at 550 nm excitation, and an efficiency of 9.40%, as compared with 8.93% of the Pt/CC counterpart. Moreover, the 1T'- & T-Mo_0.66W_0.32Te_2.02/CC shows lower charge-transfer resistance (0.62 Ω cm²) than a standard Pt/CC (1.19 Ω cm²) in electrocatalytic reactions. Notably, MoW_1-Te₂ nanowhiskers act as an electron expressway by shortening the path of carrier transportation in the axial direction from a counter electrode to electrolytic ions to enhance the reaction kinetics in DSSCs. This work demonstrates that the nanowhisker-structured 1T'- & T-Mo_0.66W_0.32Te_2.02/CC with high carrier mobility and robust surface states can serve as a highly efficient counter electrode in DSSCs to replace the conventional Pt counter electrode for electrocatalytic applications.