Dual-functional ZnO nanorod aggregates as scattering layer in the photoanode for dye-sensitized solar cells

A bilayered ZnO photoanode was constructed for dye-sensitized solar cells with a high conversion efficiency of 4.0%. One layer made of ZnO nanocrystallites increases dye adsorption, and the other consisting of ZnO nanorod aggregates provides a directed electron pathway for the electron transport together with a prominent aggregation-induced light scattering.     

两步电泳沉积制备TiO2光阳极用于高效染料敏化太阳能电池

采用不同沉积电压制备TiO₂光阳极,研究电压对薄膜沉积速率、厚度和形貌的影响。通过台阶仪、光学照片、扫描电子显微镜（SEM）、电化学交流阻抗谱、开路电压衰减曲线对光阳极和电池进行系统表征,并测试了染料敏化太阳能电池器件的电流密度-电压（J-V）曲线,计算其光电转换效率。结果表明,提高沉积电压时,光阳极薄膜的沉积速率加快,膜厚也增加,但是电压过高时,薄膜会有裂缝和覆盖不全的问题,这会对电池的效率造成负面影响。综合考虑低沉积电压条件下薄膜均匀无裂缝和高沉积电压条件下沉积速率快的优点,采用先30 V电压、后60 V电压的电泳沉积方式来制备光阳极,结果呈现协同效果,既降低了制备时间又得到高质量的薄膜,在无其他修饰的情况下,电池的光电转换效率可以达到7.29%。     

两步电泳沉积制备TiO2光阳极用于高效染料敏化太阳能电池

采用不同沉积电压制备TiO₂光阳极,研究电压对薄膜沉积速率、厚度和形貌的影响。通过台阶仪、光学照片、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、电化学交流阻抗谱、开路电压衰减曲线对光阳极和电池进行系统表征,并测试了染料敏化太阳能电池器件的电流密度-电压(J-V)曲线,计算其光电转换效率。结果表明,提高沉积电压时,光阳极薄膜的沉积速率加快,膜厚也增加,但是电压过高时,薄膜会有裂缝和覆盖不全的问题,这会对电池的效率造成负面影响。综合考虑低沉积电压条件下薄膜均匀无裂缝和高沉积电压条件下沉积速率快的优点,采用先30 V电压、后60 V电压的电泳沉积方式来制备光阳极,结果呈现协同效果,既降低了制备时间又得到高质量的薄膜,在无其他修饰的情况下,电池的光电转换效率可以达到7.29%。     

Electrophoretic deposition of mesoporous TiO2 nanoparticles consisting of primary anatase nanocrystallites on a plastic substrate for flexible dye-sensitized solar cells

A film of mesoporous TiO(2) nanoparticles (MTNs) consisting of anatase nanocrystallites was electrophoretically deposited and compressed on a plastic substrate for the corresponding DSSC that gave an excellent conversion efficiency (η) of 5.25% under illumination of 100 mW cm(-2).     

Wet-process preparation of nickel-based photoanode for TCO-less fiber-shaped dye-sensitized solar cells

Low-cost ZnO-type fiber-shaped dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) without transparent conductive oxide (TCO) were for the first time assembled through a low-temperature all-wet process, using a series of Ni-based composite fiber. Both Ni layer morphology and ZnO nano-array structure evidently influenced the performance of the corresponding DSSC. For applications in both liquid type and all-solid CuI type fiber-shaped DSSCs, the Ni-based photoanode is comparable with the Ti- or Fe-based photoanode. Our all-solid CuI type fiber-shaped DSSCs was even better than that of the reported all-solid Ti- or Fe-based devices with the same oxide thickness. Electrochemical analysis further indicated that side reactions on the electrode/electrolyte interface could be effectively suppressed after a layer of Ni plated. Even for Cu wire, of which its interfacial side reactions are too complicated for application in DSSC, the Cu/Ni composite fiber still works well. Similar technology can be used to fabricate many other low-cost and light-weight conductive fibers, which are potential photoanode materials for highly efficient TCO-less DSSCs.     

Fabrication of highly efficient and cost-effective dye-sensitized solar cells using ZnO/MWCNT nanocomposite as photoanode

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - In the present study, a novel cost-effective and efficient configuration of dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) with zinc oxide–multi-walled carbon...     

Synthesis of hexagonal ZnO clubs with opposite faces of unequal dimensions for the photoanode of dye-sensitized solar cells

Novel sub-micro sized hexagonal clubs of ZnO (HC-ZnO), which are coated as a scattering layer (SL) for the photoanode of a DSSC, are synthesized. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of the ZnO clubs show clear peaks corresponding to wurtzite crystal phase of ZnO. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) images show that each club has two opposite hexagonal faces (parts) of unequal dimensions. High resolution transmission electron microscopic (HR-TEM) image of a single ZnO club reveals that the ZnO is single crystalline and has wurtzite crystal structure; the image indicates a lattice spacing (d) of 0.26 nm; this is ascribed to the (002) planar spacing of the hexagonal ZnO. A solar-to-electricity conversion efficiency (η) of 3.36% is achieved for the cell with the double layer (DL) film, which is 16% higher than that of the cell with only transparent layer (TL) of commercial ZnO (2.89%) and far higher than that of the cell with SL (0.05%). The η of the cell with the DL (3.36%) could further be improved to 4.28% through the modification of the DL surface with TiO(x). Incident photo-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE) curves, UV-vis absorption spectra, energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectra, and electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) are also used to substantiate the results.     

Rose bengal-sensitized ZrO2 photoanode for dye-sensitized solar cell

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - The present work reports the first demonstration of zirconium oxide (ZrO2) as a photoanode and rose bengal (RB) as a sensitizer. ZrO2 photoanode films were...     

ZnO hierarchical structures for efficient quasi-solid dye-sensitized solar cells

We report a direct precipitation method for mass production of ZnO microflowers (MFs) containing hierarchical structures. The ZnO MFs are constructed by interlaced single crystalline and porous nanosheets which are ideal photoanode material for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) because the MFs can largely improve the energy harvesting performance and the efficiency of DSCs. Compared with other forms of nano-sized structures, the novel hierarchical structures show obvious advantages in DSC application because of their large surface area for dye-loading, good light scattering efficiency and excellent electrical transport property. The quasi-solid state DSCs fabricated with the MF hierarchical structures exhibited an efficiency of 4.12%, much higher than that of ZnO nanoparticle-based DSCs, indicating a great potential for the development of highly-efficient quasi-solid DSCs.     

Fast electron transport in metal organic vapor deposition grown dye-sensitized ZnO nanorod solar cells

The electron transport in dye-sensitized solar cells with a MOCVD (metal organic vapor deposition)-grown ZnO nanorod array (ZnO-N) or a mesoporous film prepared from ZnO colloids (ZnO-C) as the working electrode was compared. The electrodes were of similar thickness (2 mum) and sensitized with zinc(II) meso-tetrakis(3-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin, while the electrolyte was I(-)/I(3)(-) in 3-methoxypropionitrile. Electron transport in the ZnO-C cells was comparable with that found for colloidal TiO(2) films (transport time approximately 10 ms) and was light intensity dependent. Electron transport in solar cells with ZnO-N electrodes was about 2 orders of magnitude faster ( approximately 30 mus). Thus, the morphology of the working ZnO electrode plays a key role for the electron transport properties.     

静电喷雾法制备高效染料敏化太阳能电池的二氧化钛光阳极

TiO2光阳极膜是染料敏化太阳能电池（DSSC）的核心部件之一,它对电池的光电转换效率起决定性作用．TiO2电极一般采用刮涂法和丝网印刷法制备．近3年,通过静电喷雾制备光阳极的方法得到国内外学者的关注．静电喷雾制备光阳极会受到多种因素的影响,如电压、流速、悬浮液浓度、喷雾距离以及喷雾时间等．但这些因素对成膜和DSSC器件性能的影响却没有得到全面的研究或者报道．本文使用静电喷雾法制备了多孔TiO2纳米膜,并研究了以其为电极的电池器件特性．经过超声充分分散的稳定TiO2乙醇悬浮液在高电压下喷雾到导电玻璃上成膜．通过改变电喷雾距离,得到了具有不同形貌的TiO：光阳极膜,并解释了其形成的机理及其对电池性能的影响．研究还表明,光阳极膜的TiC14处理能够很好地改善电池性能．通过优化,基于流速为0．8mL／h、电喷雾距离和时间分别为2．2cm和8min条件下制备的光阳极,结合TiC14处理,组装的电池在模拟太阳光源AM1．5G下光电转化效率达6．24％．     

Nanorods and nanolipsticks structured ZnO photoelectrode for dye-sensitized solar cells

Nanostructured ZnO photoelectrodes were synthesized on SnO₂:F (FTO) glass substrate coated with sol–gel based ZnO seed layer via hydrothermal route at various deposition times: 30, 60, 90 and 180 min. Ruthenium based dye and carbon counter electrode were used for the fabrication of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). Interestingly, nanolipsticks structures were found with low deposition times, where two dissimilar nanorods (111 and 165 nm) attached together. The number of nanolipsticks structures decreased and nanorods increased with increase of deposition time. The DSCs based on ZnO nanorods for 180 min, shows the maximum efficiency, 1.04% at 100 mW/cm² light intensity.     

ZnO hierarchial structure prepared via direct precipitation for dye-sensitized solar cells

Research on Chemical Intermediates - A ZnO hierarchical structure was prepared via simple aqueous method at room temperature using zinc nitrate solution as precursor. Time-dependent trails...     

Room temperature fabrication of porous ZnO photoelectrodes for flexible dye-sensitized solar cells

We fabricated ZnO photoelectrodes at room temperature by doctor-blading ZnO gel; the adequate interparticle connection and the effective ammonia activation process improved the flexible DSC's efficiency to 3.8% (under 100 mW cm(-2)).     

High-efficiency (7.2%) flexible dye-sensitized solar cells with Ti-metal substrate for nanocrystalline-TiO2 photoanode

High-efficiency flexible dye-sensitized solar cells were fabricated with a Ti-metal foil substrate for photo anode and using a Pt-electrodeposited counter electrode on ITO/polyethylene naphthalate (ITO/PEN); these devices were characterized by incident photon-to-current efficiency (IPCE), optical transmittance and electrical impedance spectroscopy.     

A fast approach to optimize dye loading of photoanode via ultrasonic technique for highly efficient dye-sensitized solar cells

A distinctive method is proposed by simply utilizing ultrasonic technique in TiO_2 electrode fabrication in order to improve the optoelectronic performance of dye-sensitized solar cells(DSSCs). Dye molecules are at random and single molecular state in the ultrasonic field and the ultrasonic wave favors the diffusion and adsorption processes of dye molecules. As a result, the introduction of ultrasonic technique at room temperature leads to faster and more well-distributed dye adsorption on TiO_2 as well as higher cell efficiency than regular deposition, thus the fabrication time is markedly reduced. It is found that the device based on40 kHz ultrasonic(within 1 h) with N719 exhibits a Vocof 789 mV, Jscof 14.94 mA/cm~2 and fill factor(FF)of 69.3, yielding power conversion efficiency(PCE) of 8.16%, which is higher than device regularly dyed for12 h(PCE = 8.06%). In addition, the DSSC devices obtain the best efficiency(PCE = 8.68%) when the ultrasonic deposition time increases to 2.5 h. The DSSCs fabricated via ultrasonic technique presents more dye loading,larger photocurrent, less charge recombination and higher photovoltage. The charge extraction and electron impedance spectroscopy(EIS) were performed to understand the influence of ultrasonic technique on the electron recombination and performance of DSSCs.     

Multi-wall carbon nanotube counter electrodes for dye-sensitized solar cells prepared by electrophoretic deposition

In this study, electrophoretic deposition (EPD) was employed to fabricate multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) counter electrodes (CEs) for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Firstly, raw MWCNTs were functionalized by means of an acid mixture solution and then subjected to EPD. The results obtained from Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscope, and cyclic voltammogram demonstrated that the defects and open ends on the MWCNTs can be obtained via chemical functionalization and thus facilitate the enhancement in the electrocatalytic activity for I₃⁻ reduction of MWCNT CEs. In addition to optimizing chemical functionalization of MWCNTs surface, the optimal thickness of MWCNT CEs prepared by EPD was also investigated. Additionally, consecutive cyclic voltammetric tests demonstrated that the MWCNT CE fabricated by EPD possessed excellent electrochemical stability. In comparison with MWCNT CEs fabricated by tape-casting approach, MWCNT CEs prepared by EPD presented a superior adhesion between MWCNT deposits and conducting glass substrates. Therefore, MWCNT CEs fabricated by EPD can be of great potential for use in low-cost plastic DSSCs.     

Butyronitrile-based electrolyte for dye-sensitized solar cells

We elaborated a new electrolyte composition, based on butyronitrile solvent, that exhibits low volatility for use in dye-sensitized solar cells. The strong point of this new class of electrolyte is that it combines high efficiency and excellent stability properties, while having all the physical characteristics needed to pass the IEC 61646 stability test protocol. In this work, we also reveal a successful approach to control, in a sub-Nernstian way, the energetics of the distribution of the trap states without harming cell stability by means of incorporating NaI in the electrolyte, which shows good compatibility with butyronitrile. These excellent features, in conjunction with the recently developed thiophene-based C106 sensitizer, have enabled us to achieve a champion cell exhibiting 10.0% and even 10.2% power conversion efficiency (PCE) under 100 and 51.2 mW·cm(-2) incident solar radiation intensity, respectively. We reached >95% retention of PCE while displaying as high as 9.1% PCE after 1000 h of 100 mW·cm(-2) light-soaking exposure at 60 °C.