Synthesis of NiSe2/reduced graphene oxide crystalline materials and their efficient electrocatalytic activity in dye-sensitized solar cells

Abstract

We synthesized two kinds of NiSe₂ crystalline material grown on graphene (microsphere NiSe₂/RGO and octahedron NiSe₂/RGO) through a facile hydrothermal route. Their catalytic activities as the counter electrodes (CEs) in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) were investigated through I–V curves and conversion efficiency tests. Attributed to the outstanding carrier transfer properties of graphene nanosheets, the NiSe₂/graphene materials exhibited an excellent electrochemical performance, and microsphere NiSe₂/RGO showed a better electrocatalytic performance as the CE for the reduction of triiodide than that of Pt. Furthermore, Tafel polarization and electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were performed to evaluate the electrocatalytic activity of the as-prepared CEs.