Low temperature fabrication of high performance and transparent Pt counter electrodes for use in flexible dye-sensitized solar cells

High performance Pt counter electrode is prepared by using vacuum thermal decomposition at a relatively low (120°C) temperature on a flexible polyethylene naphthalate substrate coated with indium-doped tin oxide for use in flexible dye-sensitized solar cells. The obtained Pt counter electrode shows a good chemical stability, high light transmittance, and high electrocatalytic activity for the I 3 − /I− redox reaction. The energy conversion efficiency of a flexible dye-sensitized solar cell based on the prepared Pt counter electrode and a TiO2/Ti photoanode reaches 5.14% under a simulated solar light irradiation with intensity of 100 mW cm−2.