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Harvesting Solar Energy by Means of Charge-Separating Nanocrystals and Their Solids
Published on: August 23, 2012
Enhanced charge transport kinetics in anisotropic, stratified photoanodes
Nuri Yazdani1, Deniz Bozyigit, Ivo Utke
1Nanoscience for Energy Technology and Sustainability, Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, ETH Zürich ,, Sonneggstrasse 3, Zürich CH-8092, Switzerland.
Abstract:
The kinetics of charge transport in mesoporous photoanodes strongly constrains the design and power conversion efficiencies of dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Here, we report a stratified photoanode design with enhanced kinetics achieved through the incorporation of a fast charge transport intermediary between the titania and charge collector. Proof of concept photoanodes demonstrate that the inclusion of the intermediary not only enhances effective diffusion coefficients but also significantly suppresses charge recombination, leading to diffusion lengths two orders of magnitude greater than in standard mesoporous titania photoanodes. The intermediary concept holds promise for higher-efficiency DSSCs.
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