Enhanced Light Harvesting from Först-Type Resonance Energy Transfer in the Quasi-Solid State Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Abstract

The demonstrated Först-type resonance energy transfer (FRET) is demonstrated in quasi-solid type dye-sensitized solar cells between organic fluorescence materials as an energy donor doped in polymeric gel electrolyte and a ruthenium complex as an energy acceptor on the surface of TiO2. Strong spectral overlap of emission/absorption of the energy donor and acceptor is required to obtain high FRET efficiency. The judicious choice of the energy donor allows the enhancement of the light harvesting characters of the energy acceptor (N3) in quasi-solid dye sensitized solar cells which increases the power conversion efficiency by 25% compare to that of a pristine cell. The optimized cell architecture fabricated with the quasi-solid type electrolyte containing fluorescence materials shows a maximum efficiency of 5.08% with a short-circuit current density (J(sc)) of 12.63 mA/cm2, and an open-circuit voltage (V(oc)) of 0.70 V under illumination of simulated solar light (AM 1.5, 100 mW/cm2).