Highly Effective 2D Layer Structured Titanium Carbide Electrode for Dye-Sensitized and Perovskite Solar Cells

In this study, 2D layer-structured Ti3C2 is synthesized by using an etching method at lower temperature, which is then applied in dye-sensitized and perovskite solar cells as counter electrode with higher activity compared with conventional TiC particles counter electrode. The dye-sensitized solar cells fabricated by using a 2D layer-structured Ti3C2 counter electrode achieves a power conversion efficiency of 9.57 %, much higher than that of the counterpart device fabricated using a TiC particle counter electrode (7.37 %). The excellent activity of the Ti3C2 electrode can be attributed to the superior charge transfer and mass transport properties, owing to the specific 2D layer structure. Moreover, the fabricated 2D layer-structured Ti3C2 is applied in perovskite solar cells, thereby achieving a power conversion efficiency of 7.78 % without further optimization. Thus, it is a potential candidate for noble metal electrodes.