Electrospun Oxide Nanofibers for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Abstract

AbstractThe Sun continuously irradiates large amount of energy to the Earth, and the power per second irradiation covers thousands of times over the human consumption per year, without concerning about depletion and pollution. It is urgent to develop cheap and efficient devices for turning light into electricity. Unlike silicon-based solar cells which demand highly purified sources and complicated fabrication process, dye-sensitized solar cells owning the merits of low cost, simple manufacturing procedure, and high theoretical energy conversion efficiency have become the promising candidates for the next-generation solar cells (DSSCs). In the past few years, electrospun nanofibers have been introduced into dye-sensitized solar cells. For example, one-dimensional (1D) electrospun TiO2 and ZnO nanofibers have been widely investigated to be used as photoanode materials in DSSCs, which exhibit more excellent electron transport properties compared with conventional nanoparticle systems with disordered geometrical structures, as well as the potential of large-scale production. Electrospinning method can also be used to prepare polymer gel electrolytes to replace the traditional liquid electrolytes, solving the questions about long-term stability of DSSCs. In this chapter, we present a review on the application of electrospinning for the design and fabrication of architectured, nanofibrous materials for DSSCs, including photoanodes, counter electrodes, and electrolytes.KeywordsPolymer ElectrolyteTiO2 NanoparticlesLiquid ElectrolyteComposite NanofibersElectrospun NanofibersThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.