Using Mirror-Based Counter-Electrode to Enhance Performance of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) represent a promising technology with the potential to replace Si-based solar cells. The counter-electrode in a DSSC typically consists of a Pt thin film that is deposited on a flat transparent conductive oxide (TCO). To enhance DSSC efficiencies, various efforts have been made to modify the structure of the counter-electrode for better light harvesting, including using Pt nanoparticles, inverse opal carbons, and nanotubes. Most of these approaches involve multiple steps and are time-consuming. In this work, a regular mirror is used to construct the counter-electrode to reflect incident light back into the photoanode. When compared with glass-based counter electrode, the mirror-based counterpart increased efficiency to 7.81%, corresponding to a 8% increase. UV-vis is used to compare the light reflection from different counter electrodes. Using a mirror-based counter electrode is a facile and cost-effective approach to enhance DSSC efficiencies.