Development of quasi solid state dye sensitized solar cells

Abstract

Dye Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs) present a significant renewable energy source in terms of control of different parameters governing flexibility, efficiency, lifetime and cost. The liquid electrolytes used inside the cells are generally responsible for the leakage and inefficient encapsulation related issues. These are critical for practical applications of DSSCs. The choice of electrolyte medium used in the cell should take into account the fast regeneration of electrolyte and redox potential of the dye. Organic dyes in general, exhibit better extinction coefficients and variant color ranges. The present work is focused on quasi solid state DSSCs based on an organic dye. For the fabrication of devices, nanocrystalline titanium-di-oxide (TiO2) films were used as the photoanode and well known organic dye Eosin B as the sensitizer. The photovoltaic performance of the cells was measured at different light intensities. The results exhibited the quantum efficiency of organic dye Eosin B which can be used as a potential sensitizer in conjugation with quasi solid state electrolytes. Copyright © 2017 VBRI Press.