Pursuit of cost-effective counter electrode (CE) electrocatalysts with no sacrifice of photovoltaic performances has been a persistent objective for advanced dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) platforms. Here we demonstrate the experimental realization of CE electrocatalysts from Cu@M@Pt (M = Fe, Co, Ni) coaxial alloy nanowires for efficient DSSCs. The reasonable electrocatalytic activity is attributed to work function matching of alloy CEs to potential of I-/I-3(-) and redistribute the electronic structure on the Pt surface. In comparison with 8.48% for the Pt nanotube CE based DSSC, the solar cells yield power conversion efficiencies up to 8.21%, 7.85%, and 7.30% using Cu@Fe@Pt, Cu@Co@Pt, and Cu@Ni@Pt NVVs, respectively. This work represents an important step forward, as it demonstrates how to make the CE catalyst active and to accelerate the electron transport from CE to electrolyte for high-efficiency but cost-effective DSSC platforms. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.