Performance Of Dye-sensitized Solar Cells Research Articles

Improved efficiency and stability of dye-sensitized solar cells by using iodide-based electrolyte with high viscosity solvent

Dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) performance with a liquid electrolyte depends strongly on the choice of electrolyte solvent. Acetonitrile (AN) is the most widely used organic solvent due to its low viscosity and good solubility to dissolve iodide salts. However, the stability has become critical due to the high vapor pressure of AN. In this study, the efficiency and stability of DSSC using iodide-based electrolyte were observed by using high viscosity solvents namely dimethylformamide (DMF) and γ-butyrolactone (GBL). The cell using DMF shows the best performance with an efficiency of 7.69 %, higher than that of the cell with commercial AN-based electrolyte with an efficiency of 7.14 %. Impedance spectroscopy measurement to the cell using DMF reveals a relatively low charge transfer resistance, both at TiO2-dye/electrolyte and counter electrode/electrolyte interfaces, compared to other solvents. Furthermore, the efficiency is retained at 76 % after 4 weeks of storage under ambient air, the best among various solvents tested in the present study.

Lignite-derived nanocarbon as surface passivator and cosensitizer in dye-sensitized solar cell

Interfacial exciton recombination and narrow absorption region are two bottlenecks that limit the performance of a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). The present study focuses on improving the solar cell's efficiency by utilizing a lignite-derived nanocarbon that behaves as a surface passivator and cosensitizer. Incorporating nanocarbon enhanced the spectral absorption region of the N719 dye with a bathochromic shift and played the role of a cosensitizer. In addition, the quenched photoluminescence spectra revealed that nanocarbon also aids in the swift transfer of electrons to the conduction band of TiO2 by reducing the exciton recombination and acting as a surface passivator. On measuring the fabricated DSSC under AM 1.5G irradiation with the intensity of 100 mW/cm2, the nanocarbon-based device exhibited an efficiency (ŋ) of 9.02% with a photocurrent density of 20.45 mA/cm2, outperforming the pristine device (ŋ = 6.21%). An enhancement of 45% in the power conversion efficiency was achieved. Thus, the results unveiled that nanocarbons derived from pollution-causing fuel synergistically aided in enhancing the performance of DSSC.

Development of organic co-sensitizers based on piperonal for over 10% efficient ruthenium complex dye-sensitized solar cells

In this study, two new piperonal-based organic dyes, designated D-1–2, were synthesized for use in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The dyes studied have a D-π-A configuration and have undergone molecular engineering to fine-tune their spectral properties and energy levels. A comprehensive analysis involving both experimental and theoretical approaches was performed to investigate their optical, electrochemical, photovoltaic, geometrical, and electronic features. These newly developed dyes exhibit notably strong UV–vis absorption, with high molar extinction coefficients, making them an attractive option as co-sensitizers for ruthenium-based dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Co-sensitization at a concentration of 0.2 mM resulted in a significant increase in the PCEs of DSSCs, ranging from 7.90 % to 10.43 %, compared to the PCE of 7.31 % for DSSCs sensitized solely with N719. The improvement in PCEs can be attributed to the enhanced JCSS and Voc achieved through co-sensitization, highlighting the potential benefits of utilizing co-sensitizers to develop more efficient DSSCs. The highest PCE achieved was 10.43 %, with a Jsc of 19.05 mA.cm−2 and a VOC of 750 mV for the mixed co-sensitizers (D-1 + D-2 + N719). These findings indicate that cocktail co-sensitization is a promising strategy for constructing efficient D-π-A-type sensitizers and for evaluating the performance of DSSCs. Additionally, incident photon-to-current efficiency (IPCE) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) studies provide insights into the mechanisms responsible for these improvements. Based on the IPCE study, the increase in Jsc during co-sensitization is due to less photocurrent loss from the electrolyte. EIS experiments showed that making a monolayer of sensitizers that was denser and more organized probably led to less electron recombination between the injected electrons and the electrolyte. This could be because the dyes were absorbed more. The findings of this study suggest that D-1–2 co-sensitizers might be game-changers in the development of more effective DSSCs. In addition, this investigation provides crucial information regarding the underlying systems.

Green synthesis and characterizations of magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles using Moringa oleifera extract for improved performance in dye-sensitized solar cell

In this study, Moringa oleifera extract was used for the green synthesis of magnetic Iron Oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticle. Natural dye from air-dried Carica papaya leaves was used as sensitizer along with commercially obtainable N719 Ruthenium dye. The optical absorptions between 350 and 650 nm confirmed the formation of the nanoparticle. After adding the nanoparticle to the TiO2 and loading it with dye, the absorbance in the visible range dramatically increased. The formation and stabilization of the nanoparticle may have been aided by the functional groups, according to the FTIR results. With an average crystallite size of 35.13 nm, the XRD patterns demonstrated the nanoparticle's crystalline nature. The morphologies of the nanoparticle demonstrated that it was well-formed and homogeneously dispersed. The presence of iron and other component elements was confirmed by the EDX spectra. The production of 40.83 nm-sized nanoparticles on average was further verified by the TEM micrograph, and the samples' crystallographic planes were identified by the SAED patterns. The photo-electrochemical performance of the DSSCs showed that the efficiencies increased significantly with percentage increase of 90.1% and 89.3% for Carica papaya and Ruthenium dyes, respectively. The green-synthesized Fe3O4 nanoparticle exhibited good properties for application in DSSC.

A low-cost, activated carbon-coated, stainless-steel counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells

A low-cost, activated carbon (AC) and sugar-coated stainless-steel counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells was successfully fabricated and characterized. For performance comparison, a similar electrode was fabricated using a FTO glass as the substrate. The photovoltaic performance of dye-sensitized solar cells made with these two counter electrodes were compared with solar cells made with a Pt counter electrode. The optimized, activated carbon-coated, stainless-steel-based dye-sensitized solar cells showed an energy conversion efficiency of 8.21% while similarly optimized solar cells made with activated carboncoated FTO counter electrode showed an efficiency of 7.50%. The efficiency of corresponding solar cells made with Pt counter electrode was 9.22%. The high solar cell efficiency of 89% of that of Pt based cells can be attributed to the high electro-catalytic activity and enhanced effective surface area of activated carbon/ sugar composite and good electrical conductivity of stainless steel as demonstrated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, Tafel plot analysis and SEM imaging.

Influence of Annealing Duration on the Structural, Optical and Electrical Properties of ZnO Layers Deposited Using the Dip-Coating Method

Zinc sol deposited via dip coating on Fluorine-doped Tin Oxide (FTO) coated glasses were annealed at 450 °C in normal ambient to form ZnO layers. The effect of annealing durations, i.e. 30, 60, 90, and 120 min on their surface morphology, crystallinity, optical, electrical and Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs) performance were studied. The XRD analyses indicated the formation of wurtzite ZnO after 60 min of annealing. It is noted that the ZnO layers annealed at 60-120 min showed good crystal quality attributed to its sharp, narrow and strong diffraction peaks. Generally, ZnO layers with uniform thickness have been deposited on the FTO coated glasses. The thickness of ZnO layers decreased from 0.88, 0.78, 0.76, and 0.73 mm when the annealing duration increased from 30 to 120 min due to removal of hydrocarbons from the zinc sol. The O at. % increased with annealing duration, indicating that more oxygen reacted with zinc to form ZnO. The ZnO thin film annealed at 60 min had relatively low sheet resistance (9.6 W) with optical bandgap of 3.04 eV. This suggests that ZnO layers annealed at 60 min have the largest amount of oxygen vacancies that contributed electrons for charges transportation in the layers. Besides, the Room Temperature Photoluminescence (RTPL) analyses showed that the ZnO thin film annealed for 60 min showed IUV/IVis ratio = 0.89, suggesting better crystal quality compared to shorter annealing duration.

Performance of Flexible Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell (FDSSC) Using Flexible Substrate at Different Angles Under Back-Illumination Configurations

Performance of Flexible Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell (FDSSC) Using Flexible Substrate at Different Angles Under Back-Illumination Configurations

Surface modification of platinum counter electrode by amino quinonoid zwitterion to improve the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells

Surface modification of platinum counter electrode by amino quinonoid zwitterion to improve the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells

N-doped lotus seedpods biocarbon hybridized with NiCo2S4 as counter electrodes for dye sensitized solar cells

A facile and green approach to composites containing nitrogen doped lotus seedpods biocarbon (NALC) and NiCo2S4 (NCS) is reported. The composites present excellent electrocatalytic activity for reduction from I3− to I− due to the synergistic effect between the nanocrystalline NCS and the NALC. Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) assembled with the as-prepared NALC@NCS counter electrodes (CEs) achieve impressive photovoltaic conversion efficiency (PCE) of 8.58%, which is higher than that by the same structured cell with Pt (7.85%) and NCS (7.53%) CEs. Compared with other NCS based CEs, the NALC@NCS CEs show good durability and stability, suggesting that combining nanocrystalline catalyst with biocarbon is beneficial to stimulate the synergistic effect, and is a feasible strategy to optimal CEs for high performance DSSCs. Low cost NALC@NCS composites developed in this work are environmentally friendly, stable and efficient, which are believed to be good candidates for Pt-free CE materials in DSSCs and electrocatalysis applications.

Π SPACER EFFECT IN BENZIMIDAZOLE- QUINOLINE DONOR CONFIGURATION TO EXPLORE VISIBLE PHOTON ABSORPTION FOR DYE-SENSITIZED SOLAR CELLS

In this study, we have considered a range of metal-free organic dyes with benzimidazole incorporated quinoline donors (BZQ) were designed with the configuration of Donor-Donor-π spacer-Acceptor (D-D-π-A). The impact of various π-spacer groups on their performance in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) was analyzed. The utilization of density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) methods has been employed in the examination of various aspects of electronic and absorption properties. The electronic absorption spectrum exhibits a red shift when the π spacer is increased, at the same time the energy gap between the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) was reduced. Theoretical calculations of these dyes demonstrated that altering the π-spacer group can result in several beneficial effects on the photovoltaic performance.

Optimization Thickness of Photoanode Layer and Membrane as Electrolyte Trapping Medium for Improvement Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Performance

Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSC) are photovoltaic devices that contain a dye that acts as a solar light acceptor. The use of dyesensitized solar cells to solve increasing energy demand and environmental problems still results in low efficiency values. In this study, optimization of DSSC components was carried out to increase DSSC efficiency by varying the thickness of the titanium dioxide (TiO2) semiconductor photoanode layer, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) trap electrolyte membrane, and polyvinylidene fluoride nanofiber (PVDF NF) to obtain the optimum thickness. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) results of membrane thickness variation and titanium dioxide (TiO2) semiconductor photoanode coating showed the formation of nanofiber fibers composed of three-dimensional, porous, and diameter networks connected to the PVDF NF membrane. The increase in density and decrease in pore size, along with an increase in thickness and cracking as the TiO2 photoanode semiconductor layer increases, affect the electron transport rate of the DSSC. The higher particle density level will inhibit the electron transport rate, so it can reduce the efficiency of DSSC. The optimum thickness of the TiO2 semiconductor layer and PVDF NF electrolyte membrane of 0.20 mm and 0.35 mm can produce values, voltage, fill factor current density, and electrical efficiency of 500 mV, 2.7 x 10−3 mA.cm−2, 1.80%, and 2.40%, respectively.

A theoretical study on third generation photovoltaic technology: dye-sensitized solar cells

A numerical model has been developed to investigate the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) under extreme weather conditions. The main purpose of this work is to simulate the temperature influence on the overall efficiency of DSSCs with a consideration of the voltage loss at titanium dioxide (TiO2 )/ transparent conductive oxide (TCO) interface. Appropriate simulation input parameters are chosen to reflect the extreme winter weather conditions of Fargo, North Dakota. It is found that at the temperature 250 K (ca. -20 °C), the maximum power output is about 23 W/m2 which is about 50% lower than the value at 340 K (ca. 70 °C). The study reveals that low temperature conditions have serious detrimental effects on the DSSCs’ performance.

Improvement of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs) performance using Crude Brazilein Extract from Sappanwood (Caesalpinia Sappan L.) with the incorporation of ZnO nanoparticles

Improvement of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs) performance using Crude Brazilein Extract from Sappanwood (Caesalpinia Sappan L.) with the incorporation of ZnO nanoparticles

Construction of Cu-doped α-MoO3 nanostructures and their application as counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells

The proposed work was to develop a low-cost counter electrode used in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) for the replacement of Ptelectrodes. Alpha Molybdenum oxide (α-MoO3) and copper-doped α-MoO3 (Cu-doped α-MoO3) were prepared by a hydrothermal technique. The physical properties and performance of DSSCs were investigated by varying Cu doping (0.05%, 0.1%, and 0.2% wt.) with α-MoO3. DSSC fabricated with Cu-doped α-MoO3 was found to be 2.87% (S3) efficiency, which was higher than that of undoped α-MoO3 (1.83%) and platinum (2.51%) as counter electrodes (CEs). The results clearly indicate that Cu-doped α-MoO3 can effectively replace expensive platinum CEs in a cost-efficient manner.

Tailoring the work function of SnS2/SnO2 composites for improved counter electrode performance in dye-sensitized solar cells

Tailoring the work function of SnS2/SnO2 composites for improved counter electrode performance in dye-sensitized solar cells

Improved the DSSCs performance by sensitizing eight natural dyes and varying the annealing process on the TiO2

The use of natural photosensitizers applied to dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) is the key to getting inexpensive and abundant materials for solar cells. However, the low recorded efficiency remains a crucial concern. Here, we investigated and extracted eight natural dyes as photosensitizers for DSSCs intensively. We also studied the impact of annealing on the photoanode’s titanium dioxide (TiO2). First, from the characterization measurements, we found the compound of all the dyes can be utilized in DSSCs, and the performance measurement shows that all natural dyes exhibited great performances as photosensitizers in DSSCs, in which their JSC and VOC values are approximately 0.52–2.88 mA cm−2 and 0.63 to 0.76 V, respectively. The best-recorded conversion efficiency is 4.71%, which was extracted from red gambier fruits. Second, increasing the annealing temperature on the photoanode in our device caused a decrease in the efficiency of the DSSCs. This is caused by the phase of TiO2 changing from anatase to brookite when the temperature increases.

Structural and Optical Characteristics of Multilayer ZnO Nanorod:TiO2 by DC Magnetron Sputtering for Dye Sensitized Solar Cell (DSSC) Application

The development of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell (DSSC) technology by utilizing various semiconductors has attracted attention. Among all types of semiconductors, the nanostructure of ZnO is selected due to their unique electrical properties and ease of preparation in various morphologies, and it has been considered a promising material to be applied in DSSC. In this research, the DC magnetron sputtering method was used to prepare ZnO thin films as an efficient alternative to press the charge recombination process that occurs in TiO2-based DSSC. Different thicknesses of TiO2 layers on the FTO conductive glass substrate were made through various sputtering deposition times, while the ZnO nanorod layers were made with a single layer using the hydrothermal method. We used XRD, SEM, UV-Vis, I-V meter, and EIS analysis. Based on these characterization we concluded that multilayer ZnO nanorod:TiO2 coating with a sputtering time of 60 minutes resulted the best performance of DSSC with an efficiency of 0.27%.

Optimizing photovoltaic performance of squaraine derivative dyes: a DFT study on different anchoring groups.

In this study, we designed squaraine-based dyes with a 2-amino pyrrole donor unit and acene groups like anthracene and pentacene. These dyes incorporate three different electron-withdrawing groups - cyanoacrylate (A1), phosphonate (A2) and boronic acid (A3) - as linkers to the TiO2 semiconductor. The spectroscopic, electronic and photochemical properties of these compounds were investigated using density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) simulations. Compared to the squarylium dye, SQD, the UV-vis data indicate excellent absorption especially for pentacene-based dyes, which extended beyond 920 nm, enhancing the panchromatic effect. The calculated excited-state lifetimes of these dyes were notably longer than SQD, particularly for those containing pentacene and either A1 or A2 withdrawing groups, with lifetimes approximately four times longer. In contrast, boronic acid derivatives had shorter excited-state lifetimes, hindering charge transfer. Simulations suggest all sensitizers can inject electrons into TiO2 and be efficiently regenerated by electron transfer from the electrolyte. The best results were achieved with pentacene and A1 or A2 as linkers, notably A1 dyes achieve superior short circuit photocurrent, J sc, and power conversion efficiency, PCE, with over 50% improvement compared to SQD. Phosphonate derivatives exhibited the highest energy adsorption on TiO2 while still achieving significant open-circuit voltage, V oc, J sc, and PCE values. After surface adsorption, all dyes displayed efficient electron recovery, with HOMO levels significantly dropping below -4.8 eV. Our study demonstrates that computational design can significantly enhance experimental work, offering valuable insights to improve dye design and boost the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells.

Fuel-influenced nanorod-to-nanosphere transformation of vanadium-doped ZnO and its performance in dye-sensitized solar cells

PEG-400 fuel-induced morphology transformation of a ZnO–V5% semiconductor nanostructured material achieved 5.4% efficiency using commercial N719 as a dye sensitizer.

Enhancement of Photovoltaic Performance of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells using Hierarchical ZnO/SnO2 Nanocomposites Synthesized via Hydrothermal Method

Enhancement of Photovoltaic Performance of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells using Hierarchical ZnO/SnO2 Nanocomposites Synthesized via Hydrothermal Method