Application of Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):Polystyrenesulfonate/Polypyrrole Counter Electrode for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

A low-cost poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) and polypyrrole (PPy) composite film was fabricated on a rigid fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate used as the counter electrode in a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) by a facile electrochemical polymerization method. The cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements show that the PEDOT:PSS/PPy film has a low surface resistance, high conductivity, and good catalytic performance for the I – /I 3 – electrolyte. The power conversion efficiency of the DSSC based on the PEDOT:PSS/PPy counter electrode reaches 7.60% under a simulated solar light illumination of 100 mW·cm –2; the efficiency is comparable to that of the DSSCs based on a sputtered Pt electrode.