A diagram displays the photoelectric performance of electrode materials made by MIn2S4 (M=Fe, Co, Ni) in the microstructure and crystal structure as well as the working principle of DSSC. [Photo/sxu.edu.cn]

The Institute of Molecular Science at Shanxi University has made a major breakthrough in the research of platinum (Pt)-free counter electrodes for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) and the findings have been published in the Angewandte Chemie International Edition, an authority in the chemistry field.

The research group led by Xiao Yaoming and Han Gaoyi, two professors at the Institute of Molecular Science, synthesized interconnected ternary MIn2S4 (M = Fe, Co, Ni) and used it as Pt-free counter electrodes for the DSSC. The research proved the efficiency and strong photoelectric performance of MIn2S4 (M = Fe, Co, Ni) as counter electrodes for DSSC.

The lead author of the research paper was Hou Wenjing, a doctoral student at Shanxi University. The research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.