Controlled Photoanode Properties for Large-Area Efficient and Stable Dye-Sensitized Photovoltaic Modules.

Wei-Hao Chiu,Vembu Suryanarayanan,Jen-Fu Hsu,Kun-Mu Lee,Ming-Chung Wu

doi:10.3390/nano11082125

Abstract

Nowadays, a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) attracts attention to its development widely due to its several advantages, such as simple processes, low costs, and flexibility. In this work, we demonstrate the difference in device structures between small size and large size cells (5 cm × 5 cm, 10 cm × 10 cm and 10 cm × 15 cm). The design of the photoanode and dye-sensitized process plays important roles in affecting the cell efficiency and stability. The effects of the TiO2 electrode, using TiCl4(aq) pretreatment and post-treatment processes, are also discussed, whereas, the open-circuit voltage (Voc), short-circuit current density (Jsc), and module efficiency are successfully improved. Furthermore, the effects on module performances by some factors, such as dye solution concentration, dye soaking temperature, and electrolyte injection method are also investigated. We have demonstrated that the output power of a 5 cm × 5 cm DSSC module increases from 86.2 mW to 93.7 mW, and the module efficiency achieves an outstanding performance of 9.79%. Furthermore, enlarging the DSSC modules to two sizes (10 cm × 10 cm and 10 cm × 15 cm) and comparing the performance with different module designs (C-DSSC and S-DSSC) also provides the specific application of polymer sealing and preparing high-efficiency large-area DSSC modules.

Highlights

In early 1990s, the dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) is introduced by O’Regan and Grätzel [1]
After pre-treatment, the connection between the porous TiO2 electrode and Fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass with pre-treatment was improved to reduce the series resistance caused by the interface
At the same voltage, the significantly lower reaction current measured in the sample with pre-treatment proves that the dense TiO2 layer between the FTO glass and porous TiO2 film could effectively inhibit the recombination between electrons on FTO and

Summary

Introduction

In early 1990s, the dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) is introduced by O’Regan and Grätzel [1]. Because of its easy manufacturing, low-cost materials and advantages for color selectivity, transparency and flexibility, DSSC becomes a charming photovoltaic device for wide researchers with huge resources. DSSCs have been intensely researched for more than two decades, where the highest certified efficiency of a lab-size cell reported to date is 13% [2], and the published highest efficiency achieved is even higher: 14.3% [3]. The first important issue to shift from academic research to practical product development is the large-area design and manufacturing method of the device. The key factors of the DSSC module, such as high efficiency, high stability and module design technology, are important technical indicators to commercialize this device.

Methods

Results

Conclusion