The composite electrocatalysts of cobalt oxide/mesoporous carbon and cobalt nitride/mesoporous carbon are synthesized via a convenient oxidation and subsequent ammonia nitridation of cobalt particles-incorporated mesoporous carbon, respectively. The cobalt oxide and nitride particles are uniformly imbedded in mesoporous carbon matrix, forming the unique composites with high surface area and mesopore architecture, and the resultant composites are evaluated as counter electrode materials, exhibiting good catalytic activity for the reduction of triiodide. The composites of cobalt nitride and mesoporous carbon are superior to the counterparts of cobalt oxide and mesoporous carbon in catalyzing the triiodide reduction, and the dye-sensitized solar cell with the composites achieves an optimum power conversion efficiency of 5.26%, which is comparable to the one based on the conventional Pt counter electrode (4.88%). (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.