Sunflower-Like SrCo2S4@f-MWCNTs Hybrid Wrapped by Engineering N-Reduced Graphene Oxide for High Performance Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

A novel sunflower-like nanocomposite of SrCo2S4 nanoflakes and functionalized multiwall carbon nanotubes (f-MWCNTs) entanglement enveloped in nitrogen-reduced graphene oxide (N-RGO) is prepared by a cheap process. The unique entanglement structure of the material exhibits higher specific surface area, better electrical conductivity and other properties. This helps to reduce the transfer resistance in the photoelectric process of the battery and improve the electrochemical activity, thus increasing the photoelectric conversion efficiency of the battery. The new ternary cobalt-based sulfide material can replace platinum as the counter electrode (CE) material loaded on dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). DSSCs with SrCo2S4@f-MWCNTs@N-RGO (SCS@f-M@N-R) as CE material show excellent photoelectric conversion efficiency (PCE, 8.06%), even surpassing than that of Pt CE material (7.51%). The low cost, excellent electrocatalytic performance and simple preparation method of SCS@f-M@N-R nanomaterial provide feasibility for replacing platinum material as the CE material of DSSCs, which is of great significance and persuasion.