Surface-treated TiO2 nanoparticles for dye-sensitized solar cells with remarkably enhanced performance

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) were prepared by capitalizing on mesoporous P-25 TiO(2) nanoparticle film sensitized with N719 dyes. Subjecting TiO(2) nanoparticle films to TiCl(4) treatment, the device performance was improved. More importantly, O(2) plasma processing of TiO(2) film that was not previously TiCl(4)-treated resulted in a lower efficiency; by contrast, subsequent O(2) plasma exposure after TiCl(4) treatment markedly enhanced the power conversion efficiency, PCE, of DSSCs. Remarkably, with TiCl(4) and O(2) plasma treatments dye-sensitized TiO(2) nanoparticle solar cells produced with 21 μm thick TiO(2) film illuminated under 100 mW/cm(2) exhibited a PCE as high as 8.35%, twice of untreated cells of 3.86%.     

添加剂对染料敏化太阳电池电解质性能的影响

以N-甲基咪唑、苯并咪唑、叔丁基吡啶和离子液体1-甲基-3-乙基咪唑三氟乙酸盐(EMITA)作为染料敏化太阳电池(DSCs)电解质溶液中的添加剂, 使用超微电极通过循环伏安法研究其对液体电解质中I-3和I-氧化还原行为的影响, 通过电化学阻抗谱研究了上述四种添加剂对Pt电极电解质界面的影响. 结果表明, 添加剂EMITA的加入使I-3在电解质中的扩散系数减小, Pt电极电解质界面上的界面传输电阻Rct增大, 电解质的电阻降低; 光伏性能测试表明, EMITA的添加提高了DSCs的开路电压和填充因子, 其DSCs的光电转换效率达到了5.72%.     

染料敏化纳米薄膜太阳电池电解质的优化

探讨了小面积染料敏化纳米薄膜太阳电池放大到大面积太阳电池组件时,各种电解质体系对电池性能的影响,综合优化了各种电解质的性能,同时与大面积电池(0.8cm×18cm)制作相结合,获得符合电池各种性能要求的最佳配比的电解质体系.光电转换效率可达到6.48%.     

Performance of dye-sensitized solar cells with various carbon nanotube counter electrodes

Double-wall carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs), single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), and multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were investigated as an alternative for platinum in counter-electrodes for dye-sensitized solar cells. The counter-electrodes were prepared on fluorine-doped tin oxide glass substrates by the screen printing technique from pastes of carbon nanotubes and organic binder. The solar cells were assembled from carbon nanotubes counter-electrodes and screen printed anodes made from titanium dioxide. The cells produced with DWCNTs, SWCNTs or MWCNTs have overall conversion efficiencies of 8.0%, 7.6% and 7.1%, respectively. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements revealed that DWCNTs displayed the highest catalytic activity for the reduction of tri-iodide ions. The large surface area and superior chemical stability of the DWCNTs facilitated the electron-transfer kinetics at the interface between counter-electrode and electrolyte and yielded the lowest transfer resistance, thereby improving the photovoltaic activity. A short-term stability test at moderate conditions confirmed the robustness of solar cells based on the use of DWCNTs, SWCNTs or MWCNTs.

A new study on solid-state cyanine dye-sensitized solar cells

A new cyanine dye, 7-{1-[2-(4-morpholine-1,8-naphthalimide)ethyl]-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-}-2-[3-(5-carboxyl-1,3-dihydro-3,3-dimethyl-1-butyl-indolin-2-methylene)-propenyl]-1,1-dimethyl-3-buty-1H-benzo[e]indolium iodide (BIDC), has been synthesized and identified with regard to its structure and photoelectrochemical properties used as a sensitizer on dye-sensitized solar cells. A novel solid-state electrolyte with polyaniline-loaded carbon black (PACB)-1-methyl-3-propylimidazolium iodide (MPII) composite was investigated on these dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). The short-circuit photocurrent density (J _sc), open-circuit photovoltage (V _oc) and fill factor (ff) under 200 W/m² white light from a xenon lamp are 0.44 mA/cm², 550 mV and 0.58, respectively, yielding an overall conversion efficiency (η) of 0.7%. The most merit of the solid-sate electrolyte was free of volatile and flammable fluid components and easy of encapsulation for DSCs.     

Effect of coadsorbent properties on the photovoltaic performance of dye-sensitized solar cells

Stearic acid as a coadsorbent, which has a low dipole moment and high solubility, retarded the rate of dye adsorption during the competitive anchoring process on the TiO(2) layer in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs), thereby increasing the content of strongly bound dye on the TiO(2) surface. This resulted in an approximately 25% improvement in both J(SC) and the power conversion efficiency of the DSCs, even for much lower dye coverage.     

染料敏化纳米薄膜太阳电池中离子液体基电解质的研究进展

综述了离子液体基电解质在染料敏化纳米薄膜太阳电池中的研究及应用进展，详细论述了多种离子液体基电解质系统对染料敏化纳米薄膜太阳电池性能的影响，并比较了这些系统的优缺点. 根据胶凝剂的不同分别论述了离子液体基电解质的固化及其对电池性能的影响. 评述了离子液体基电解质在大面积电池中的应用，并对离子液体基电解质未来发展方向进行了展望.     

Successful demonstration of an efficient I(-)/(SeCN)2 redox mediator for dye-sensitized solar cells

A new I(-)/(SeCN)(2) redox mediator has favorable properties for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) such as less visible light absorption, higher ionic conductivity, and downward shift of redox potential than I(-)/I(3)(-). It was then applied for DSCs towards increasing energy conversion efficiency, giving a new potential for improving performance.     

ZnO-Al2O3 and ZnO-TiO2 core-shell nanowire dye-sensitized solar cells

We describe the construction and performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) based on arrays of ZnO nanowires coated with thin shells of amorphous Al(2)O(3) or anatase TiO(2) by atomic layer deposition. We find that alumina shells of all thicknesses act as insulating barriers that improve cell open-circuit voltage (V(OC)) only at the expense of a larger decrease in short-circuit current density (J(SC)). However, titania shells 10-25 nm in thickness cause a dramatic increase in V(OC) and fill factor with little current falloff, resulting in a substantial improvement in overall conversion efficiency, up to 2.25% under 100 mW cm(-2) AM 1.5 simulated sunlight. The superior performance of the ZnO-TiO(2) core-shell nanowire cells is a result of a radial surface field within each nanowire that decreases the rate of recombination in these devices. In a related set of experiments, we have found that TiO(2) blocking layers deposited underneath the nanowire films yield cells with reduced efficiency, in contrast to the beneficial use of blocking layers in some TiO(2) nanoparticle cells. Raising the efficiency of our nanowire DSCs above 2.5% depends on achieving higher dye loadings through an increase in nanowire array surface area.     

An alternative electrolyte based on acetylacetone–pyridine–iodine for dye-sensitized solar cells

We prepared a new organic electrolyte by the reaction among acetylacetone, pyridine and iodine in 3-methoxypropionitrile. The UV–Visible spectra, conductivity measurement and ESI mass spectra were used to study this electrolyte. It was suggested that the quaternization reaction of pyridine took place in this electrolyte solution and two kinds of pyridinium iodide were formed. The efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) using this electrolyte reaches 6.72%, which is higher than that of DSCs using LiI electrolyte and methylpropylimidazolium iodide electrolyte. It implies that these pyridinium iodides are effective alternative component of iodide for the electrolytes of DSCs. As this organic iodide electrolyte was in situ synthesized based on iodine instead of alkyl iodide, it will be cost-effective and facilitative for the production of DSCs.     

Multichromophoric dye-sensitized solar cells based on supramolecular zinc-porphyrinperylene-imide dyads

Multichromophoric dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) based on self-assembled zinc-porphyrinperyleneimide dyads on TiO(2) films display more efficient light-to-electrical energy conversion than DSCs based on individual dyes. Higher efficiency of multichromophoric dyes can be attributed to co-sensitization as well as vectorial electron transfer that lead to better electron-hole separation in the device.     

Influence of doped anions on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) as hole conductors for iodine-free solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) is an excellent hole-conducting polymer able to replace the liquid I(-)/I3(-) redox electrolyte in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). In this work we applied the in situ photoelectropolymerization technique to synthesize PEDOT and carried out a careful analysis of the effect of different doping anions on overall solar cell performance. The anions analyzed in this work are ClO4(-), CF3SO3(-), BF4(-), and TFSI(-). The best solar cell performance was observed when the TFSI(-) anion was used. Photoelectrochemical and impedance studies reveal that the doped anions in the PEDOT hole conductor system have great influences on I-V curves, conductivity, and impedance. The optimization of these parameters allowed us to obtain an iodine-free solid-state DSC with a maximum J(sc) of 5.3 mA/cm2, V(oc) of 750 mV, and a conversion efficiency of 2.85% which is the highest efficiency obtained so far for an iodine-free solid-state DSC using PEDOT as hole-transport material.     

Investigation of cation-induced degradation of dye-sensitized solar cells for a new strategy to long-term stability

Current-voltage characteristics, electron lifetimes (tau), and electron diffusion coefficients (D) of dye-sensitized TiO2 solar cells (DSCs) composed of liquid electrolytes were repeatedly measured over a period of time. It was found that the energy conversion efficiency of the DSCs using electrolytes composed of Li+ or tetrabutylammonium cation as the counter charges of I-/I3- redox couples decreased with the lapse of time. On the other hand, such a decrease was not observed for the DSC consisting of 1,2-dimethyl-3-propylimidazolium cation or of Li+ coupled with the addition of tert-butylpyridine. The decrease of the efficiency was in accordance with a decreased electron lifetime. The notable decrease in the presence of Li+ is probably caused by the excess amount of Li+ adsorption on the TiO2 surface.     

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.     

Novel counter electrode catalysts of niobium oxides supersede Pt for dye-sensitized solar cells

Synthesized niobium oxides (Nb(2)O(5) and NbO(2)) were applied for the first time as counter electrodes (CEs) in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). The DSC using NbO(2) CE showed a higher power conversion efficiency of 7.88%, compared with that of the DSC using Pt CE (7.65%).     

Double-layer coating of SrCO3/TiO2 on nanoporous TiO2 for efficient dye-sensitized solar cells

Surface modification plays a crucial role in improving the efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), but the reported surface treatments are in general superior to the untreated TiO(2) but inferior to the typical TiCl(4)-treated TiO(2) in terms of solar cell performance. This work demonstrates a two-step treatment of the nanoporous titania surface with strontium acetate [Sr(OAc)(2)] and TiCl(4) in order, each step followed by sintering. An electronically insulating layer of SrCO(3) is formed on the TiO(2) surface via the Sr(OAc)(2) treatment and then a fresh TiO(2) layer is deposited on top of the SrCO(3) layer via the TiCl(4) treatment, corresponding to a double layer of Sr(OAc)(2)/TiO(2) coated on the TiO(2) surface. As compared to the typical TiCl(4)-treated DSSC, the Sr(OAc)(2)-TiCl(4) treated DSSC improves short-circuit photocurrent (J(sc)) by 17%, open-circuit photovoltage (V(oc)) by 2%, and power conversion efficiency by 20%. These results indicate that the Sr(OAc)(2)-TiCl(4) treatment is better than the often used TiCl(4) treatment for fabrication of efficient DSSCs. Charge density at open circuit and controlled intensity modulated photocurrent/photovoltage spectroscopy reveal that the two electrodes show almost same conduction band level but different electron diffusion coefficient and charge recombination rate constant. Owing to the blocking effect of the SrCO(3) layer on electron recombination with I(3)(-) ions, the charge recombination rate constant of the Sr(OAc)(2)-TiCl(4) treated DSSC is half that of the TiCl(4)-treated DSSC, accounting well for the difference of their V(oc). The improved J(sc) is also attributed to the middle SrCO(3) layer, which increases dye adsorption and may improve charge separation efficiency due to the blocking effect of SrCO(3) on charge recombination.     

Nanocrystalline electrodes based on nanoporous-walled WO3 nanotubes for organic-dye-sensitized solar cells

Nanoporous-walled tungsten oxide (WO(3)) nanotubes (NTs), which had a more positive conduction band edge level compared to that of TiO(2), were applied to various organic dyes for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The dye-sensitized WO(3) NTs displayed photosensitization for the organic dyes whose lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) level was relatively positive to the conventional TiO(2) electrode and, thus, not applicable for electron injection to the TiO(2) electrode. Electron transport time and electron lifetime for the WO(3) electrode in the DSSCs were investigated. In comparison to the DSSCs based on TiO(2), SnO(2), and In(2)O(3), the WO(3) DSSCs displayed the longest lifetime. On the other hand, non-diffusion-like electron transport may be an issue to apply WO(3) for the DSSCs.     

Energy and hole transfer between dyes attached to titania in cosensitized dye-sensitized solar cells

Cosensitization of broadly absorbing ruthenium metal complex dyes with highly absorptive near-infrared (NIR) organic dyes is a clear pathway to increase near-infrared light harvesting in liquid-based dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). In cosensitized DSCs, dyes are intimately mixed, and intermolecular charge and energy transfer processes play an important role in device performance. Here, we demonstrate that an organic NIR dye incapable of hole regeneration is able to produce photocurrent via intermolecular energy transfer with an average excitation transfer efficiency of over 25% when cosensitized with a metal complex sensitizing dye (SD). We also show that intermolecular hole transfer from the SD to NIR dye is a competitive process with dye regeneration, reducing the internal quantum efficiency and the electron lifetime of the DSC. This work demonstrates the general feasibility of using energy transfer to boost light harvesting from 700 to 800 nm and also highlights a key challenge for developing highly efficient cosensitized dye-sensitized solar cells.     

Perylene anhydride fused porphyrins as near-infrared sensitizers for dye-sensitized solar cells

Two perylene anhydride fused porphyrins 1 and 2 have been synthesized and employed successfully in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). Both compounds showed broad incident monochromatic photon-to-current conversion efficiency spectra covering the entire visible spectral region and even extending into the near-infrared (NIR) region up to 1000 nm, which is impressive for ruthenium-free dyes in DSCs.     

A thiolate/disulfide ionic liquid electrolyte for organic dye-sensitized solar cells based on Pt-free counter electrodes

The ionic liquid, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetracyanoborate, was employed to prepare a thiolate/disulfide ionic liquid electrolyte with low viscosity for organic dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). CoS was introduced and showed better photovoltaic performance in DSCs than the ubiquitous platinized FTO CE.