A redox-controlled electrolyte for plasmonic enhanced dye-sensitized solar cells

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Renewable Energy
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Plasmonic dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) face corrosion issues with metallic nanostructures due to the iodine/triiodide redox couple.
• Existing methods focus on surface preservation, which can be limiting for nanostructure stability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel redox-controlled electrolyte (RCE) to address corrosion in plasmonic DSSCs.
• To investigate the mechanism of corrosion compensation and its impact on DSSC performance.

Main Methods:

• Introduction of iodoaurate intermediates (AuI2- and AuI4-) into the liquid electrolyte.
• Simultaneous corrosion and redeposition of gold nanoparticles during DSSC operation.
• Analysis of gold content cycling and Schottky barrier formation at the TiO2/metal interface.

Main Results:

• The RCE effectively compensates for gold nanostructure corrosion through reversible gold dissolution and deposition.
• Gold deposition on the TiO2 photoanode forms a Schottky barrier, inhibiting electron-hole recombination.
• Significant improvements observed in short-circuit current, open-circuit voltage, and reduced interface impedance.

Conclusions:

• The RCE offers a new strategy for corrosion mitigation in plasmonic DSSCs.
• This approach enhances device stability and significantly boosts power conversion efficiency by 57%.