Pt-Ni alloy nanoparticles as superior counter electrodes for dye-sensitized solar cells: experimental and theoretical understanding.

Pt-Ni alloy nanoparticles are synthesized and used as counter electrodes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) for the first time. A PCE of 9.15% is achieved with the Pt3 Ni counter electrode, displaying an evident improvement compared with the conventional pure Pt (8.33%). The cell stability is also obviously increased with the Pt3 Ni counter electrode.