Aging effect in dye-sensitized solar cells sealed with thermoplastic films

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 68-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mian-En Yeoh ◽  
Adrian Jaloman ◽  
Kah-Yoong Chan

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to elucidate the aging effect in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) sealed with thermoplastic film and to compare it with unsealed DSSCs. Design/methodology/approach The paper presents the steps of the fabrication of standard DSSC, as well as the DSSC-sealing processes, by using thermoplastic film. Current-voltage characterization was performed to observe the changes in efficiency, fill factor, short circuit current density and open circuit voltage for both unsealed and sealed DSSCs for aging time up to 336 h. Findings The unsealed DSSC showed significant drop in efficiency from 4.26 to 2.42 per cent within the first 5.5 h of aging time because of the leakage and volatilization of the solvent in the electrolyte. On the other hand, the sealed DSSC exhibited a gradual improvement of efficiency from 4.16 to 4.73 per cent after the first 216 h of aging time. The initial efficiency increment can be ascribed to the improved adsorption of electrolyte into the titanium dioxide film because of the gradual desorption of excess dye from TiO2 with increasing aging time. Originality/value This paper demonstrates the importance of the proper sealing process for the long-term operation of DSSC.

2018 ◽  
Vol 382 ◽  
pp. 369-373
Author(s):  
Usana Mahanitipong ◽  
Preeyapat Prompan ◽  
Rukkiat Jitchati

The four thiocyanate free ruthenium(II) complexes; [Ru(N^N)2(C^N)]PF6were synthesized and characterized for dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The results showed that the broad absorptions covered the visible region from metal to ligand charge transfer (MLCT) were obtained with the main peaks at 560, 490 and 400 nm. The materials were studied DSSC performance under standard AM 1.5. Compound PP1 showed the power conversion efficiency (PCE) at 3.10%, with a short-circuit photocurrent density (Jsc) of 7.99 mA cm-2, an open-circuit photovoltage (Voc) of 563 mV and a high fill factor (ff) of 0.690.


Energies ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 2922 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zainal Arifin ◽  
Suyitno Suyitno ◽  
Syamsul Hadi ◽  
Bayu Sutanto

In this study, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) were fabricated using double-layer photoanodes consisting of TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) and Zn-doped TiO2 hollow fibers (HFs). The TiO2 HFs were prepared by co-axial electrospinning and used as the light-scattering layer in the DSSC. The thickness variations of the TiO2 NP and Zn-doped TiO2 HF photoanode layers affect the performance of the DSSC, especially the short-circuit photocurrent density. The thickness of the TiO2 NP layer significantly affected the absorbance of photons and N719 dye molecules in the double-layer photoanode, while that of the Zn-doped TiO2 HF layer affected the scattering of light, as indicated by the low light transmittance in the photoanode. Conventional DSSCs consist of single-layer photoanodes, and exhibit relatively low efficiency, i.e., 1.293% and 0.89% for TiO2 NP and Zn-doped TiO2 HF, respectively. However, herein, the highest efficiency of the DSSC (3.122%) was achieved with a 15 μm NP-5 μm HF photoanode, for which the short-circuit photocurrent density, open-circuit photovoltage, and fill factor were 15.81 mA/cm2, 0.566 V, and 34.91%, respectively.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1016 ◽  
pp. 863-868
Author(s):  
Tika Erna Putri ◽  
Yuan Hao ◽  
Fadzai Lesley Chawarambwa ◽  
Hyunwoong Seo ◽  
Min Kyu Son ◽  
...  

The losses of solar cells are consisted of electrical losses and optical losses. Optical losses chiefly reduce the short-circuit current. Here we apply bifacial cell approach to increase light absorption and the short-circuit current of dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). We have employed activated carbon (AC) as a very low cost counter electrode, an alternative to Pt counter electrode. Addition of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and titanium carbonitride (TiCN) to AC increase the efficiency of bifacial DSSC at a mirror angle of from 5.10% to and , respectively. These results indicate that AC has the potential to replace Pt as a very low cost counter electrode of bifacial DSSCs. The bifacial DSSC system using double plane mirrors improve PCE to for Pt counter electrode at a mirror angle of , and for AC counter electrode at a mirror angle of , respectively.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 216-221
Author(s):  
Arbin Maharjan

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have attracted many researchers because it has potential to supplement and compete with other solar cell technologies like Silicon (Si) and Cadmium Telluride (CdTe). The fabrication of DSSCs requires a photo electrode and a counter electrode of transparent and conducting nature. The commercial DSSCs uses electrodes of fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrates. These electrodes are expensive and hence, possible alternative materials that are cheaper and that would provide better performance under similar environmental condition should be explored. In this paper, titanium (Ti)-coated glass substrates were prepared and then used to prepare electrodes for fabricating DSSCs. Similarly, DSSCs were fabricated using electrodes of conventional FTO-coated glass substrates. Performance characteristics like cell efficiency (η%), fill-factor (FF), short circuit current density (JSC) and open circuit voltage (VOC) of both fabricated DSSCs were obtained using their respective J-V characteristic curves under similar illumination of 100 mW/cm2 and with comparable transmittance under the visible transmission spectrum of 300-850 nm. The obtained results showed that DSSCs prepared using electrodes of FTO coated glass substrates have 1.557 times better cell efficiency and 2.172 times better fill factor than that of DSSCs fabricated using electrodes of Ti-coated glass substrates.


Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 2936
Author(s):  
Junfeng Wei ◽  
Zhipeng Shao ◽  
Bin Pan ◽  
Shuanghong Chen ◽  
Linhua Hu ◽  
...  

The tandem pn-type dye-sensitized solar cells (pn-DSCs) have received much attention in the field of photovoltaic technologies because of their great potential to overcome the Shockley-Queisser efficiency limitation that applies to single junction photovoltaic devices. However, factors governing the short-circuit current densities (Jsc) of pn-DSC remain unclear. It is typically believed that Jsc of the pn-DSC is limited to the highest one that the two independent photoelectrodes can achieve. In this paper, however, we found that the available Jsc of pn-DSC is always determined by the larger Jsc that the photoanode can achieve but not by the smaller one in the photocathode. Such experimental findings were verified by a simplified series circuit model, which shows that a breakdown will occur on the photocathode when the photocurrent goes considerably beyond its threshold voltage, thus leading to an abrupt increase in Jsc of the circuit. The simulation results also suggest that a higher photoconversion efficiency of the pn-DSCs can be only achieved when an almost equivalent photocurrent is achieved for the two photoelectrodes.


BIBECHANA ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 23-28
Author(s):  
Leela Pradhan Joshi

Aluminium doped Zinc Oxide (AZO) seed layers were deposited on Fluorine doped Tin Oxide (FTO) substrates using a spin coating technique. These were then immersed in growth solutions of zinc nitrate, hexamethylenetetramine and distilled water to develop nanoplates of Zinc Oxide (ZnO). The nanostructures of ZnO grown on FTO were studied using x-ray diffraction techniques. Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) were fabricated using two prepared electrodes, one of dye-loaded zinc oxide and another that was platinum coated. The electrolyte used was potassium iodide iodine solution. The performance of the assembled DSCCs was tested by drawing an IV curve. The results showed that the short circuit current and open circuit voltages were about 10 microamperes and 270 millivolts respectively.BIBECHANA 13 (2016) 23-28


2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 547-554 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hatem El-Ghamri ◽  
Taher El-Agez ◽  
Sofyan Taya ◽  
Monzir Abdel-Latif ◽  
Amal Batniji

AbstractThe application of natural dyes extracted from plant seeds in the fabrication of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) has been explored. Ten dyes were extracted from different plant seeds and used as sensitizers for DSSCs. The dyes were characterized using UV-Vis spectrophotometry. DSSCs were prepared using TiO2 and ZnO nanostructured mesoporous films. The highest conversion efficiency of 0.875 % was obtained with an allium cepa (onion) extract-sensitized TiO2 solar cell. The process of TiO2-film sintering was studied and it was found that the sintering procedure significantly affects the response of the cell. The short circuit current of the DSSC was found to be considerably enhanced when the TiO2 semiconducting layer was sintered gradually.


2016 ◽  
Vol 139 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kambiz Hosseinpanahi ◽  
Mohammad Hossein Abbaspour-Fard ◽  
Javad Feizy ◽  
Mahmood Reza Golzarian

Natural dye extract of the saffron petal, purified by solid-phase extraction (SPE) technique, has been studied as a novel sensitizing dye to fabricate TiO2 nanoparticles-based dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). The extract was characterized using ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopies to confirm the presence of anthocyanins in saffron petals. The typical current–voltage and the incident photon to current efficiency (IPCE) curves were also provided for the fabricated cell. The saffron petal extract exhibited an open-circuit voltage (Voc) of 0.397 V, short circuit current density (Jsc) of 2.32 mA/cm2, fill factor (FF) of 0.71, and conversion efficiency of 0.66%, which are fairly good in comparison with the other similar natural dye-sensitized solar cells. These are mainly due to the improved charge transfer between the dye extract of saffron petal and the TiO2 anode surface. Considering these results, it can be concluded that the use of saffron petal dye as a sensitizer in DSSC is a promising method for providing clean energy from performance, environmental friendliness, and cost points of view.


2009 ◽  
Vol 2009 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazuteru Nonomura ◽  
Yunhua Xu ◽  
Tannia Marinado ◽  
Daniel P. Hagberg ◽  
Rong Zhang ◽  
...  

A new ruthenium complex, cis-di(thiocyanato)(2,2′-bipyridine-4,4′-dicarboxylic acid)(4,4′-bis(2-(5-(2-(4-diphenylaminophenyl)ethenyl)-thiophen-2-yl)ethenyl)-2,2′-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) (named E322) has been synthesized for use in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). Higher extinction coefficient and a broader absorption compared to the standard Ru-dye, N719, were aimed. DSCs were fabricated with E322, and the efficiency was 0.12% initially. (4.06% for N719, as reference). The efficiency was enhanced to 1.83% by exposing the cell under simulated sunlight containing UV-irradiation at short-circuit condition. The reasons of this enhancement are (1) enhanceing electron injection from sensitizer toTiO2following a shift toward positive potentials of the conduction band ofTiO2by the adsorption of protons or cations from the sensitizer, or from the redox electrolyte and (2) improving the regeneration reaction of the oxidized dye by the redox electrolyte by the dissolution of aggregated dye from the surface ofTiO2following the treatment.


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