Zeolitic imidazolate frameworks-8 (Zn(MeIM) 2 , MelM = 2-Methylimidazole; ZIF-8)/graphene oxide derived N-doped carbon sheet has been synthesized, which exhibits superior electrocatalytic activity for the reduction of I-3(-) to I- . As the counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells, a power conversion efficiency of 8.2% has been achieved for N-doped carbon nanosheet, which is higher than that of Pt counter electrode 7.6%. This work demonstrates that carefully designed carbon material is a promising candidate as the metal-free counter electrodes for low-cost dye-sensitized solar cells. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.