Explanation of Effect of Added Water on Dye-Sensitized Nanocrystalline TiO2 Solar Cell： Correlation between Performance and Carrier Relaxation Kinetics

Time-resolved mid-IR transient absorption spectroscopy is employed to explore the mechanism of improving the performance of dye-sensitized TiO2 solar cell （DSSC） when a certain amount of H2 0 is added into the electrolyte. The relaxation kinetics of dye-sensitized TiO2 nanocrystalline film and the corresponding DSSC performance are investigated under different conditions. It is found that the interracial charge recombination is retarded and electron injection efficiency is increased in the water vapour and in the electrolyte when D20 is added. The values of open-circuit photovoltage Voc and the short-circuit photocarrent Jsc of the cells are linearly correlated to the product of the two decay time constants. We also observed that Voc well correlates with electron injection efficiency. It provides a preliminary microscopic account for the function of the added water in improving the performance of DSSCs.     

Low platinum loading PtNPs/graphene composite catalyst with high electrocatalytic activity for dye-sensitized solar cells

Platinum nanoparticles(PtNPs)/graphene composite materials are synthesized by a controlled chemical reduction of H2PtCl6 on graphene sheets.The electrocatalytic activity of a PtNPs/graphene composite counter electrode for a dye-sensitized solar cell(DSSC) is investigated.The results demonstrate that the PtNPs/graphene composite has high electrocatalytic activity for the dye-sensitized solar cell.The cell employing PtNPs(1.6 wt%)/graphene counter electrode reaches an conversion efficiency(η)of 3.89% upon the excitation of 100 mW/cm2 AM 1.5 white light,which is comparable to that of the cell with a Pt-film counter electrode(η=3.76%).It suggests that one can use only 14% Pt content of the conventional Pt-film counter electrode to obtain a comparable conversion efficiency.It may be possible to obtain a high performance DSSC using the PtNPs/graphene composite with a very low Pt content as a counter electrode due to its simplicity,low cost,and large scalability.     

Mechanism of Enhanced Performance of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Based TiO2 Films Treated by Titanium Tetrachloride

Performance of dye-sensitized solar cells can be improved by treating the nanoporous TiO2 films with titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) aqueous solution. We explore the reason why the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells is enhanced by this method. It is found that the effect of TiCl4 treatment not only reduces the films surface area and improves the electronic contact, but also enhances the binding of N719 with the TiO2 films surface.     

Highly Emcient Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Using a Composite ElectrolyteConsisting of LiI（CH3OH）4-I2, SiO2 Nano-Particles and an Ionic Liquid

Solid-state electrolyte LiI(CH3OH)4-I2 is used in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The DSSCs using only the LiI(CH3OH)4-I2 electrolyte show very poor performance due to the quick crystal growth of LiI(CH3OH)4. In order to improve the performance of DSSCs, we prepare a composite electrolyte by adding Si02 nano-particles and an ionic liquid, 1-methyl-3-ethylimidazolium iodide, into the original solid-state electrolyte. High efficiency of 4.3% is achieved by applying this composite electrolyte to DSSCs.     

Instability of lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide(LiFSI)–potassium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide(KFSI) system with LiCoO_2 at high voltage

The cycling performance, impedance variation, and cathode surface evolution of the Li/LiCoO2 cell using Li FSI–KFSI molten salt electrolyte are reported. It is found that this battery shows poor cycling performance, with capacity retention of only about 67% after 20 cycles. It is essential to understand the origin of the instability. It is noticed that the polarization voltage and the impedance of the cell both increase slowly upon cycling. The structure and the properties of the pristine and the cycled LiCoO2 cathodes are investigated by x-ray diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM), Raman spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS), and transmission electron microscopy(TEM). It is found that the LiCoO2 particles are corroded by this molten salt electrolyte, and the decomposition by-product covers the surface of the LiCoO2 cathode after 20 cycles. Therefore, the surface side reaction explains the instability of the molten salt electrolyte with LiCoO2.     

Absorption enhancement in thin film a-Si solar cells with double-sided SiO_2 particle layers

Light absorption enhancement is very important for improving the power conversion efficiency of a thin film a-Si solar cell. In this paper, a thin-film a-Si solar cell model with double-sided SiO2 particle layers is designed, and then the underlying mechanism of absorption enhancement is investigated by finite difference time domain(FDTD) simulation;finally the feasible experimental scheme for preparing the SiO2 particle layer is discussed. It is found that the top and bottom SiO2 particle layers play an important role in anti-reflection and light trapping, respectively. The light absorption of the cell with double-sided SiO2 layers greatly increases in a wavelength range of 300 nm–800 nm, and the ultimate efficiency increases more than 22% compared with that of the flat device. The cell model with double-sided SiO2 particle layers reported here can be used in varieties of thin film solar cells to further improve their performances.     

Optimum Nanoporous TiO2 Film and Its Application to Dye—sensitized Solar Cells

Properties of TiO2 nanoporous films, which are one of the crucial technologies in dye-sensitized solar cell, are investigated. The nanocrystalline TiO2 films were prepared with the sol-gel method at different pH in precursor and treatment temperature in autoclave for their application to dye-sensitized solar cells. The thickness of the TiO2 film is very important to the transfer of photoelectron as well as adsorption of dye, it is also known as one of the source to the dark current. The results show that the TiO2 films, such as different particle sizes of TiO2, different pH in precursor and treatment temperature in autoclave, have a strong influence on the photoelectrochemical properties of the dye-sensitized solar cells. We give the optimum TiO2 film thickness and morphology for the application to dye-sensitized solar cells.     

Effect of Poly（Ether Urethane） Introduction on the Performance of Polymer Electrolyte for All-Solid-State Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

The introduction of poly（ether urethane） （PEUR） into polymer electrolyte based on poly（ethylene oxide）, LiI and I2, has significantly increased the ionic conductivity by nearly two orders of magnitudes. An increment of I3- diffusion coefficient is also observed. All-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells are constructed using the polymer electrolytes. It was found that PEUR incorporation has a beneficial effect on the enhancement of open circuit voltage VOC by shifting the band edge of TiO2 to a negative value. Scanning
electron microscope images indicate the perfect interfacial contact between the TiO2 electrode and the blend electrolyte.     

Insights of Unconventionally Long Exposure Time in Atomic Layer Deposition Al2O3 to Modify SnO2 Photoanode of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Porous SnO2 photoanodes coated by alumina through atomic layer deposition technology are reported. It is found that when the dosing time of precursor is extended over 11 s, the 125% maximum increase of cell emciency is achieved. It is believed that besides the interracial charge recombination being efficiently suppressed by this ultra-thin coating, the increased absorption of dyes and elimination of the high density of monoenergetic surface states on SnO2 might play a positive role in improving the cell efficiency. The reason is that a long exposure time of precursor can guarantee the 100% coverage of Mumina on porous SnO2, which is further explained by a built three-step model. Then we conclude that for a high cell efficiency in porous photoelectrode a long exposure time is indispensable.     

Enhanced Efficiency of Polymer： Fullerene Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells with the Insertion of Thin TiO2 Layer near the LiF/A1 Electrode

The insertion layer of TiO2 between polymer-fullerene blend and LiF/AI electrode is used to enhance the shortcircuit current Isc and fill factor （FF）. The solar cell based on the blend of poly[2-methoxy-5-（2＇-ethylhexyloxy）- 1,4-phenylenevinylene] （MEH-PPV） and C60 with the modifying layer of TiO2 （about 20nm） shows the open- circuit Voc of about 0.62 V, short circuit current Isc of about 2.35 mA/cm^2, filling factor FF of about 0.284, and the power conversion efficiency （PCE） of about 2.4% under monochromatic light （50Onto） photoexcitation of about 17mW/cm^2. Compared to ceils without the TiO2 layer, the power conversion efficiency increases by about 17.5%. Similar effect is also obtained in cells with the undoped MEH-PPV structure of ITO/PEDOT：PASS/MEH- PPV/（TiO2）LiF/AI. The improved solar cell performance can be attributed to enhanced carrier extraction efficiency at the active layer/electrode interfaces when TiO2 is inserted.     

Flexible Cu（In,Ga）Se2 Thin-Film Solar Cells on Polyimide Substrate by Low-Temperature Deposition Process

The electrical and structural properties of polycrystalline Cu（In, Ga）Se2 films grown on polyimide （PI） substrates below 400℃ via one-stage and three-stage co-evaporation process have been investigated by x-ray diffraction spectra （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and Hall effect measurement. As shown by XRD spectra, the stoichiometric CIGS films obtained by one-stage process exhibit the characteristic diffraction peaks of the （In0.68Ga0.32）2Se3 and Cu（In0.7Ga0.3）2Se. It is also found that the film structures indicate more columnar and compact than the three-stage process films from SEM images. The stoichiometric CIGS films obtained by three-stage process exhibit the coexistence of the secondary phase of （In0.68Ga0.32）2Se3, Cu2-xSe and Cu（In0.7Ga0.3）2Se. High net carrier concentration and sheet conductivity are also observed for this kind of film, related to the presence of Cu2-xSe phase. As a result, when the CIGS film growth temperature is below 400℃, the three-stage process is inefficient for solar cells. By using the one-stage co-evaporation process, the flexible CIGS solar cell on a PI substrate with the best conversion efficiency of 6.38% is demonstrated （active area 0.16cm^2）.     

Photovoltaic Cells with TiO2 Nanocrystals and Conjugated Polymer Composites

Various compositional photovoltaic cells based on the blend of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) as donors and TiO₂ nanocrystals as acceptors are fabricated and investigated. It is demonstrated that the blend ratio of P3HT and TiO₂ nanocrystals could greatly influence the performance of the photovoltaic cells. The maximum of 0.411% in power conversion efficiency under AM 1.5, 100mW/cm², and 44.4% of fill factor are obtained in the solar cell with the blend weight ratio 1:1 of P3HT and TiO₂ nanocrystals. The function of nanocrystal composition is discussed in terms of the results of photoluminescence spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and charge transport I-V curve.     

Cooperative Quantum Cutting of Nano-Crystalline BaF2：Tb^3＋, Yb^3＋ in Oxyfluoride Glass Ceramics

We report on cooperative quantum cutting in Tb^3＋- Yb^3＋ codoped glass ceramics. Precipitation of BaF2 nanocrystals is confirmed by XRD and HRTEM analysis. Near-infrared emission due to transition of Yb^3＋ ions under 485 nm excitation indicates cooperative energy transfer from Tb^3＋ to Yb^3＋. The quantum efficiency of this process reaches 145%. The realization of quantum cutting in glass ceramics may have promising applications in solar cells.     

Defect generation in polycrystalline Cu(In,Ga)Se2 by high-energy electron irradiation

We investigate the degradation of ZnO/CdS/ Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ heterojunction solar cells for space applications and the defect generation in polycrystalline Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ thin films by irradiation with 1-MeV electrons with fluences J_e up to J_e=5᎒¹⁸ cm^-2. Notable degradation of the solar cell performance starts at fluences of J_e=10¹⁷ cm^-2 where the open circuit voltage decreases by about 5% while short circuit current and fill factor remain essentially unaffected. Thus, Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ solar cells withstand electron fluences which are higher by one order of magnitude or more when compared to other technologies. A model describes the absolute open circuit voltage loss considering the increase of space charge recombination by electron irradiation-induced defects. Defect analysis by admittance spectroscopy shows that acceptor defects with an energy distance of approximately 300 meV from the valence band are generated at a rate %=0.017 (ǂ.01) cm^-1.     

Zinc oxide nanostructures for applications as ethanol sensors and dye-sensitized solar cells

ZnO nanostructures were prepared by thermal oxidation technique for applying as ethanol sensors and dye-sensitized solar cells. To improve sensitivity of the sensor based on ZnO nanostructures, gold doping was performed in ZnO nanostructures. Gold-doped with 0%, 5%, and 10% by weight were investigated. The improvement of sensor sensitivity toward ethanol due to gold doping was observed at entire operating temperature and ethanol concentration. The sensitivity up to 145 was obtained for 10% Au-doped ZnO sensor. This can be explained by an increase of the quantity of oxygen ion due to catalytic effect of gold. Also, it was found that oxygen ion species at the surface of the Au-doped ZnO sensor remained O²⁻ as pure ZnO sensor. For dye-sensitized solar cell application, the dye-sensitized solar cell structure based on ZnO as a photoelectrode was FTO/ZnO/Eosin-Y/electrolyte/Pt counter electrode. ZnO with different morphologies of nanobelt, nano-tetrapod, and powder were investigated. It was found that DSSCs with ZnO powder showed higher photocurrent, photovoltage and overall energy conversion efficiencies than that of ZnO nanobelt and ZnO nano-tetrapod. The best results of DSSCs were the short circuit current (J_sc) of 1.25 mA/cm², the open circuit voltage (V_oc) of 0.45 V, the fill factor (FF) of 0.65 and the overall energy conversion efficiency (η) of 0.68%.     

Improved Performance of Organic Thin Film Transistor with an Inorganic Oxide/Polymer Double-Layer Insulator

We employ the Ta2Os/PVP （poly-4-vinylphenol） double-layer gate insulator to improve the performance of pentacene thin-film transistors. It is found that the double-layer insulator has low leakage current, smooth surface and considerably high capacitance. Compared to Ta205 insulator layers, the device with the Ta2Os/PVP doublelayer insulator exhibits an enhancement of the field-effect mobility from 0.21 to 0.54 cm2/Vs, and the decreasing threshold voltage from 4.38 V to -2.5 V. The results suggest that the Ta2Os/PVP double-layer insulator is a potential gate insulator for fabricating OTFTs with good electrical performance.     

Preparation and Luminescence Characteristics of Ca3Y2（BO3）4：Eu^3＋ Phosphor

Ca3Y2 （BO3）4：Eu^3＋ phosphor is synthesized by high temperature solid-state reaction method, and the Iuminescence characteristics are investigated. The emission spectrum exhibits two strong red emissions at 613 and 621 nm corresponding to the electric dipole ^5 Do- ^7F2 transition of Eu^3＋ under 365 nm excitation, the reason is that Eu^3＋ substituting for Y^3＋ occupies the non-centrosymmetric position in the crystal structure of Ca3 Y2 （BO3）4. The excitation spectrum for 613 nm indicates that the phosphor can be effectively excited by ultraviolet （UV） （254 nm, 365nm and 400nm） and blue （470nm） light. The effect of Eu^3＋ concentration on the emission intensity of Ca3 Y2 （BO3）4 ：Eu^3＋ phosphor is measured, the result shows that the emission intensities increase with increasing Eu^3＋ concentration, then decrease. The CIE colour coordinates of Ca3Y2 （BO3）4：Eu^3＋ phosphor is （0.639, 0.357） at 15mol% Eu^3＋.     

Mo Back Contact for Flexible Polyimide Substrate Cu（In,Ga）Se2 Thin-Film Solar Cells

A dc magnetic sputtering process is applied to growth of a Mo back. contact layer onto the flexible polyimide （PI） and rigid soda-lime glass （SLC） substrates. The structural and electrical properties of the Mo layer coated on the two kinds of substrates are investigated by x-ray diffraction （XRD） and Hall effect measurements. The results show that the Mo layer on SLG indicate more better crystal quality and lower resistivity than that on the PI sheets. In contrast to the SLG substrate, the resistivity of the Mo layer on PI is increased by the vacuum annealing process at the substrate temperature of 450℃ under Se atmosphere, which is attributed to the cracked Mo layer induced by the mismatch of the coefficient of thermal expansion between PI and Mo material. The Cu（In,Ga）Se2 （CIGS） solar cells based on the PI and SLO substrates show the best conversion efficiencies of 8.16% and 10.98% （active area, 0.2cm^2）, respectively. The cell efficiency of flexible CIGS solar cells on PI is limited by its relatively lower fill factor caused by the Mo back contact.