Abstract
Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs) are among the most promising solar energy conversion devices of new generation, since coupling ease of fabrication and low cost offer the possibility of building integration in photovoltaic windows and facades. Although in their earliest configuration these systems are close to commercialization, fundamental studies are still required for developing new molecules and materials with more desirable properties as well as improving our understanding of the fundamental processes at the basis of the functioning of photoactive heterogeneous interfaces. In this contribution, some recent advances, made in the effort of improving DSSC devices by finding alternative materials and configurations, are reviewed.
Highlights
Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are photoelectrochemical solar devices, currently subject of intense research in the framework of renewable energies being low-cost photovoltaic devices
Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs) are based on the sensitization to visible light of mesoporous, nanocrystalline metal oxide films achieved by means of the adsorption of molecular dyes [1,2,3]
The performance of dye-sensitized solar cells can be understood in view of the kinetic competition among the various redox processes involved in the conversion of light into electricity
Summary
Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are photoelectrochemical solar devices, currently subject of intense research in the framework of renewable energies being low-cost photovoltaic devices. The injected electrons are transported through the metal oxide film to a transparent electrode, while a redox-active electrolyte, such as I−3 /I−, is employed to reduce the dye cation and transport the resulting positive charge to a counter electrode (Figure 1). Regeneration of the oxidized dye (k4) is typically characterized by rate constants of 107–109 s−1 This is more than 100 times faster than recombination of injected electrons with the oxidized redox species (k6) and orders of magnitude faster than back transfer to the dye cation in the absence of a redox mediator (k3). Due to its astonishing rate, the forward electron transfer reaction remained unresolved for several years: the advent of femtosecond laser spectroscopy opened the door to the domain of ultrafast chemical processes. We report here on the recent advances in the design of these DSSC components
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