Poly(3,4-Ethylenedioxythiophene) Inverse Opal Electrode Fabricatedfrom Poly(3,4-Ethylenedioxythiophene):Poly(StyreneSulfonate)-Filled Polystyrene Template for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Abstract

An inverse-opal poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene) (PEDOT) electrode was fabricated by electrodeposi-tion of EDOT onto a PEDOT:poly(styrene sulfonate) filler in a self-assembled polystyrene template. By thisnovel fabrication method, the inverse-opal electrode was directly assembled into a dye-sensitized solarcell (DSSC) as a Pt-free counter electrode without any additional processing. This inverse-opal PEDOTelectrode exhibits superior electrocatalytic activity and easy electrolyte diffusion in the electrode, as theinverse-opal electrode provides a porous morphology. The improved reflectivity of the inverse-opal elec-trode was also observed in the incident-photon conversion-efficiency spectra at low wavelength, whichwas a characteristic of its well-ordered structure. Therefore, the inverse-opal PEDOT electrode couldsuccessfully act as an alternative counter electrode for DSSCs to replace Pt in the counter electrode.