Abstract

Dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC) are considered one of the most promising photovoltaic technologies as an alternative to traditional silicon-based solar cells, for their compatibility with low-cost production methods, their peculiar optical and mechanical properties and the high indoor efficiency. Photosensitizers represent one of the most important components of a DSSC device and probably the most thoroughly investigated in the last twenty years, with thousands of dyes that have been proposed and tested for this kind of application. In this review we aimed to provide an overview of the three main classes of DSSC photosensitizers, namely ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes, Zn-porphyrin derivatives and metal-free organic dyes. After a brief introduction about the architecture and operational principles of a DSSC and the state of the art of the other main components of this type of device, we focused our discussion on photosensitizers. We have defined the numerous requirements DSSC photosensitizers should satisfy and have provided an overview of their historical development over the years; by examining specific dyes reported in the literature, we attempted to highlight the molecular design strategies that have been established for the optimization of their performance in real devices both in terms of efficiency (which recently reaches an outstanding 14.3%) and operational stability. Finally, we discussed, in the last section, the possible future developments of this intriguing technology.

Highlights

  • One of the major societal challenges of the coming years is related to the rise in global energy demands: the latest International Energy Outlook 2017 of U.S Energy Information Administration projects that the world energy consumption will grow by 28% between 2015 and 2040, going from 19.2 to 24.6 TWy

  • In this review we aimed to provide an overview of the three main classes of Dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC) photosensitizers, namely ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes, Zn-porphyrin derivatives and metal-free organic dyes

  • Silicon based solar cells today dominate the PV market, accounting for the 93% of the total PV plants: PV devices based on highly crystalline silicon have achieved an efficiency of 26.7%, (Green et al, 2018) which is close to the maximum theoretical efficiency limit (31%) determined by Shockley and Queisser (1961)

Read more

Summary

Research Progress on Photosensitizers for DSSC

Edited by: Carlos Frederico De Oliveira Graeff, Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP), Brazil. In this review we aimed to provide an overview of the three main classes of DSSC photosensitizers, namely ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes, Zn-porphyrin derivatives and metal-free organic dyes. After a brief introduction about the architecture and operational principles of a DSSC and the state of the art of the other main components of this type of device, we focused our discussion on photosensitizers. We have defined the numerous requirements DSSC photosensitizers should satisfy and have provided an overview of their historical development over the years; by examining specific dyes reported in the literature, we attempted to highlight the molecular design strategies that have been established for the optimization of their performance in real devices both in terms of efficiency (which recently reaches an outstanding 14.3%) and operational stability.

INTRODUCTION
Architecture and Operation Principles
The Components of a DSSC Device
The Photoanode
Ruthenium Based Photosensitizers
Porphyrins Based Sensitizers
Findings
SUMMARY AND PERSPECTIVES
Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call