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A swift dye uptake procedure for dye sensitized solar cells
Md K Nazeeruddin1, R Splivallo, P Liska
1Laboratory for Photonics and Interfaces, Institute of Molecular and Biological Chemistry, School of basic Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland. MdKhaja.Nazeeruddin@epfl.ch
Chemical Communications (Cambridge, England)
|July 5, 2003
Summary
Researchers achieved over 9.18% power conversion efficiency in dye-sensitized solar cells using a novel swift self-assembly method with ruthenium (N719) sensitizer and nanocrystalline TiO2 films.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Renewable Energy
- Photovoltaics
Background:
- Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are a promising photovoltaic technology.
- Efficient light harvesting and charge transport are critical for DSSC performance.
- Nanocrystalline titanium dioxide (TiO2) films are commonly used as photoanodes in DSSCs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel, efficient method for fabricating dye-sensitized solar cells.
- To investigate the performance of DSSCs utilizing a ruthenium-based sensitizer (N719) and TiO2.
- To achieve high power conversion efficiencies in DSSCs.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of double-layer nanocrystalline TiO2 films (12 + 4 microm thick).
- Application of bis(tetrabutylammonium)-cis-di(thiocyanato)-N,N'-bis(4-carboxylato-4'-carboxylic acid-2,2'-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) (N719) sensitizer using a swift self-assembled procedure.
- Performance characterization under AM 1.5 solar simulation.
Main Results:
- Achieved incident monochromatic photon-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE) of 90%.
- Obtained a short-circuit current density of 17 mA cm(-2) and an open-circuit potential of 750 mV.
- Reached a fill factor of 0.72, yielding power conversion efficiencies exceeding 9.18%.
Conclusions:
- The swift self-assembled procedure is a highly effective method for fabricating high-performance DSSCs.
- Ruthenium (N719) sensitizer combined with double-layer TiO2 films offers excellent photovoltaic properties.
- This study reports the highest power conversion efficiencies to date for DSSCs prepared via a swift self-assembly technique.