Enhancing dye-sensitized solar cell performance by employing an innovative WSe₂:Zn counter electrode for improved electrocatalytic activity

In this research, we introduced a novel counter electrode (CE) for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) based on crystalline WSe₂ doped with Zn impurities. The crystalline nature of these CEs was confirmed through X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Additionally, we demonstrated that Zn dopants significantly enhances the electrochemical and electrocatalytic properties of the CEs. These improvements were verified using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and Tafel analysis with iodine-based electrolytes. Collectively, these enhancements resulted in a remarkable 42 % increase in DSSC efficiency, improving it from 5.78 % to 8.19 % under optimized conditions. Notably, this surpassed the performance of platinum-based CEs, which achieved 7.66 % efficiency. The proposed CE holds great promise for advancing DSSCs by elevating their efficiency and reducing fabrication costs.