Abstract
The performance of a flexible and glass dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) with water-based electrolyte solutions is described. High concentrations of alkylamidazoliums were used to overcome the deleterious effect of water and, based on this variable, pure water-based electrolyte DSSCs were tested displaying the highest recorded efficiency so far of 3.45% and 6% for flexible and glass cells, respectively, under a simulated air mass 1.5 solar spectrum illumination at 100 mWcm−2. An improvement in the Jsc with high water content and the positive impact of GuSCN on the enhancement of the performance of pure water-based electrolytes were also observed.
Highlights
Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are considered so far to be the best low cost alternative to silicon photovoltaic cells [1,2,3] demonstrating an efficiency of up to 12% [4] and have been intensively studied since their discovery in 1991 [5]
Many reports were of the opinion that water was poisonous for DSSCs and that the presence of even a slight trace of water in the electrolyte would be detrimental to the cell performance and would reduce cell stability either by dye detachment [6], by formation of iodate [7], or by a decrease in electron life-time [8]
While the focus was previously on glass cells, 100% water-based electrolytes remained untested at 1 sun for printable flexible DSSCs
Summary
Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are considered so far to be the best low cost alternative to silicon photovoltaic cells [1,2,3] demonstrating an efficiency of up to 12% [4] and have been intensively studied since their discovery in 1991 [5]. The highest published efficiencies for 100% water-based electrolyte cells made using 1 sun have increased slightly from 1.1% [10] to 2.4% [9] and to 4% [11], and recent work based on water gel polymer shows that efficiencies of 2.1% [12] and 4.78% [13] were achieved These results could justify the return to reexamining water as a less expensive and more environmentally friendly alternative for DSSCs. To our knowledge, while the focus was previously on glass cells, 100% water-based electrolytes remained untested at 1 sun for printable flexible DSSCs. Law et al [9] reported that a waterbased organic electrolyte with the following formulation: 2 M 1-propyl-3-methylimidazolium iodide (PMIM I), 0.05 M iodine, 0.1 M guanidinium thiocyanate (GuSCN), and 0.5 M tert-butylpyridine (TBP), functioned without efficiency loss. Presented in this work is a study of the life-time performances for water-based DSSCs under soaking illumination
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