Alternative Materials and Processing Techniques for Optimized Nanostructures in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Abstract

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) represent an exciting application of nanotechnology and offer an appealing alternative to conventional solar cells based on photovoltaic devices, with significantly reduced production and material costs. However, further improvements are required to enhance the commercial viability of these solar cells. These improvements may be achieved through the careful manipulation of the structure at the nanoscale and the application of novel processing techniques, which may help to increase the efficiency of these solar cells, improve the ease of manufacture and allow the production of flexible, solid-state solar cells. For example, the use of a nanometre-thick coating of an insulating oxide over the semiconducting film in these solar cells may reduce recombination losses. Also, selective heating techniques such as microwave heating may assist in the production of efficient solar cells on polymer, rather than glass, substrates, by allowing a rapid heat treatment to be applied to the titanium dioxide film at a higher temperature than would be possible with conventional heating. Some novel approaches to the production of semiconducting thin films for dye-sensitized solar cells, as well as the use of alternative materials and nanostructures, are reviewed.