Green and simple preparation of carbon-coated iron pyrite thin films for solar cells application

Carbon-coated iron pyrite (FeS2@C) was prepared by a green and simple method. The utilization of an amorphous carbon-shell layer formed from a glucose source coated on the surface of core-pyrite nanoparticles. The FeS2@C thin film was formed by coating synthesized iron pyrite nanoparticles with a carbon layer and depositing the carbon-coated iron pyrite on a fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate by spin-coating. The morphological, structural, and chemical composition properties of FeS2@C film was measured and characterized. Devices with the structure of FTO/TiO2/redox electrolyte/counter electrodes (FeS2@C, pristine FeS2, and Pt)/FTO were fabricated. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the FeS2@C-device (PCE ~ 6.94%), the pristine FeS2-device (PCE ~ 5.69%), the Pt-device (PCE ~ 6.48%). The improving of the device performance indicated that the FeS2@C thin film can be a good counter electrode (CE) for the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs).