Journal ArticleDOI
Conversion of sunlight to electric power by nanocrystalline dye-sensitized solar cells
TLDR
The dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) as mentioned in this paper provides a technically and economically credible alternative concept to present day p-n junction photovoltaic devices, where light is absorbed by a sensitizer, which is anchored to the surface of a wide band gap oxide semiconductor.Abstract:
The dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) provides a technically and economically credible alternative concept to present day p–n junction photovoltaic devices. In contrast to the conventional silicon systems, where the semiconductor assumes both the task of light absorption and charge carrier transport the two functions are separated here. Light is absorbed by a sensitizer, which is anchored to the surface of a wide band gap oxide semiconductor. Charge separation takes place at the interface via photo-induced electron injection from the dye into the conduction band of the solid. Carriers are transported in the conduction band of the semiconductor to the charge collector. The use of sensitizers having a broad absorption band in conjunction with oxide films of nanocrystalline morphology permits to harvest a large fraction of sunlight. Nearly quantitative conversion of incident photon into electric current is achieved over a large spectral range extending from the UV to the near IR region. Overall solar (standard AM 1.5) to current conversion efficiencies of 10.6% have been reached. New electrolytes based on ionic liquids have been developed that show excellent stability both under prolonged light soaking and high temperature stress. There are good prospects to produce these cells at lower cost than conventional devices. Here we present the current state of the field, and discuss the importance of mastering the interface of the mesoporous films by assisting the self-assembly of the sensitizer at the surface of the oxide nanocrystals.read more
Citations
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
Titanium Dioxide Nanomaterials: Synthesis, Properties, Modifications, and Applications
Xiaobo Chen,Samuel S. Mao +1 more
Journal ArticleDOI
Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells
TL;DR: Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) offer the possibilities to design solar cells with a large flexibility in shape, color, and transparency as mentioned in this paper, and many DSC research groups have been established around the world.
Journal ArticleDOI
Dye-sensitized solar cells with 13% efficiency achieved through the molecular engineering of porphyrin sensitizers
Simon Mathew,Aswani Yella,Peng Gao,Robin Humphry-Baker,Basile F. E. Curchod,Negar Ashari-Astani,Ivano Tavernelli,Ursula Rothlisberger,Md. K. Nazeeruddin,Michael Grätzel +9 more
TL;DR: A molecularly engineered porphyrin dye is reported, coded SM315, which features the prototypical structure of a donor-π-bridge-acceptor and both maximizes electrolyte compatibility and improves light-harvesting properties.
Journal ArticleDOI
Prospects of Colloidal Nanocrystals for Electronic and Optoelectronic Applications
TL;DR: Nanocrystals (NCs) discussed in this Review are tiny crystals of metals, semiconductors, and magnetic material consisting of hundreds to a few thousand atoms each that are among the hottest research topics of the last decades.
Journal ArticleDOI
Solar energy conversion by dye-sensitized photovoltaic cells
TL;DR: Developing solar cells that are based on the sensitization of mesoscopic oxide films by dyes or quantum dots, and the examples for the first outdoor application of such solar cells will be provided.
References
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
A low-cost, high-efficiency solar cell based on dye-sensitized colloidal TiO2 films
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe a photovoltaic cell, created from low-to medium-purity materials through low-cost processes, which exhibits a commercially realistic energy-conversion efficiency.
Journal Article
Photoelectrochemical cells : Materials for clean energy
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors look into the historical background, and present status and development prospects for photoelectrochemical cells, based on nanocrystalline materials and conducting polymer films.
Journal ArticleDOI
Conversion of light to electricity by cis-X2bis(2,2'-bipyridyl-4,4'-dicarboxylate)ruthenium(II) charge-transfer sensitizers (X = Cl-, Br-, I-, CN-, and SCN-) on nanocrystalline titanium dioxide electrodes
Mohammad Khaja Nazeeruddin,Andreas Kay,I. Rodicio,Robin Humphry-Baker,E. Mueller,Paul Liska,Nick Vlachopoulos,Michael Graetzel +7 more
TL;DR: Cis-X 2 Bis(2,2'-bipyridyl-4,4'-dicarboxylate)ruthenium(II) complexes were prepared and characterized with respct to their absorption, luminescence, and redox behavior.
Journal ArticleDOI
Hybrid Nanorod-Polymer Solar Cells
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that semiconductor nanorods can be used to fabricate readily processed and efficient hybrid solar cells together with polymers and Tuning the band gap by altering the nanorod radius enabled us to optimize the overlap between the absorption spectrum of the cell and the solar emission spectrum.
Journal ArticleDOI
Efficient photodiodes from interpenetrating polymer networks
J. J. M. Halls,C. A. Walsh,Neil C. Greenham,E.A. Marseglia,Richard H. Friend,Stephen C. Moratti,A.B. Holmes +6 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the interpenetrating network formed from a phase-segregated mixture of two semiconducting polymers is shown to provide both the spatially distributed interfaces necessary for efficient charge photo-generation, and the means for separately collecting the electrons and holes.