Transparent PEDOT counter electrodes for bifacial dye-sensitized solar cells using a cobalt complex mediator

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Renewable Energy
• Electrochemistry

Background:

• Bifacial dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) offer enhanced light harvesting.
• Efficient counter electrodes (CEs) are crucial for DSSC performance.
• Cobalt complex electrolytes are investigated for their redox properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) aggregate-deposited counter electrodes for bifacial DSSCs.
• To assess the impact of PEDOT CEs on cell bifaciality and power conversion efficiency.
• To investigate the performance of DSSCs using cobalt complex electrolytes with PEDOT CEs.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of bifacial dye-sensitized solar cells incorporating PEDOT aggregate-deposited counter electrodes.
• Utilization of a cobalt complex electrolyte within the DSSC architecture.
• Performance characterization under standard test conditions (AM 1.5G, 100 mW cm^-2) and realistic conditions with varying albedo.

Main Results:

• PEDOT CEs exhibited high transparency and excellent electrochemical activity.
• The bifaciality of the DSSCs reached an impressive 0.92 under standard conditions.
• A maximum power production of 11.3% was achieved under realistic conditions with 50% albedo.

Conclusions:

• PEDOT aggregate-deposited counter electrodes are effective for enhancing the performance of bifacial dye-sensitized solar cells.
• The developed DSSCs demonstrate significant potential for efficient solar energy conversion, particularly in bifacial configurations.
• The combination of PEDOT CEs and cobalt complex electrolytes offers a promising pathway for next-generation solar cell technologies.