Sol-gel spin coated well adhered MoO3 thin films as an alternative counter electrode for dye sensitized solar cells

In this work, we aim to develop a viable, inexpensive and non-toxic material for counter electrodes in dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). We employed an ultra-simple synthesis process to deposit MoO3 thin films at low temperature by sol-gel spin coating technique. These MoO3 films showed good transparency. It is predicted that there will be 150 times reduction of precursors cost by realizing MoO3 thin films as a counter electrode in DSSCs compared to commercial Pt. We achieved a device efficiency of about 20 times higher than that of the previous reported values. In summary we develop a simple low cost preparation of MoO3 films with an easily scaled up process along with good device efficiency. This work encourages the development of novel and relatively new materials and paves the way for massive reduction of industrial costs which is a prime step for commercialization of DSSCs. [Display omitted] •MoO3 thin films were prepared by sol-gel spin coating technique at low temperature.•The deposited films have shown to be mechanically stable and well adhered to the substrate.•MoO3 films were structurally characterized and optical measurements showed a good transparency.•For the first time, we achieved a champion cell photoconversion efficiency of 1.04%.