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Morphology Control for Fully Printable Organic–Inorganic Bulk-heterojunction Solar Cells Based on a Ti-alkoxide and Semiconducting Polymer
Published on: January 10, 2017
Fully printable transparent monolithic solid-state dye-sensitized solar cell with mesoscopic indium tin oxide counter
Ying Yang1, Kwangho Ri, Yaoguang Rong
1Michael Grätzel Center for Mesoscopic Solar Cells, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, School of Optical and Electronic Information, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, P. R. China. hongwei.han@mail.hust.edu.cn.
This study introduces a new printable solid-state dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) using mesoscopic titanium dioxide (TiO2) and a zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) layer. Optimized cells achieved 1.73% efficiency, demonstrating potential for low-cost solar energy conversion.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Renewable Energy
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Advancements in solar cell technology are crucial for sustainable energy.
- Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) offer a promising alternative to conventional photovoltaics.
- Developing efficient and cost-effective solid-state DSSCs is an active research area.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel transparent monolithic mesoscopic solid-state dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC).
- To investigate the performance of a fully printable DSSC architecture.
- To optimize the indium tin oxide counter electrode thickness for enhanced efficiency.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of trilamellar films comprising mesoscopic TiO2 photoanode, ZrO2 insulating layer, and ITO counter electrode.
- Screen-printing technique employed for layer-by-layer deposition on a single substrate.
- Optimization of indium tin oxide counter electrode thickness to 2.1 μm.
- Efficiency measurements under standard simulated sunlight (AM 1.5 Global, 100 mW cm(-2)) from both front and rear sides.
Main Results:
- A transparent monolithic mesoscopic solid-state DSSC was successfully fabricated using a simple, printable method.
- The optimized cell with D102 dye and spiro-OMeTAD achieved a front-side efficiency of 1.73% and a rear-side efficiency of 1.06%.
- The results highlight the feasibility of printable solid-state DSSCs, with potential for improvement.
Conclusions:
- The developed printable monolithic mesoscopic solid-state DSSC demonstrates viable solar energy conversion.
- Further improvements in transparent counter electrodes and hole transport materials could significantly enhance device performance.
- This approach offers a pathway towards low-cost, large-scale production of solid-state solar cells.
