Highly durable and flexible dye-sensitized solar cells fabricated on plastic substrates: PVDF-nanofiber-reinforced TiO2 photoelectrodes

Abstract

In this study, we developed a novel nanostructured polymer nanofiber/TiO 2 nanoparticle composite photoelectrode with high bendability by a spray-assisted electrospinning method. The composite film is used as the photoelectrode in plastic dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). The polymer/TiO 2 composite photoelectrode has a structure similar to that of a fiber-reinforced composite; the matrix of the composite photoelectrode contains TiO 2 nanoparticles, and PVDF nanofibers are embedded in this matrix. Compared to conventional DSCs, composite-based DSCs show outstanding bending stability because the polymer nanofibers prevent delamination of the electrode by relieving the external stress and effectively retarding crack generation and propagation. Moreover, the efficiency of the cell containing composite electrodes is comparable to that of a cell containing only TiO 2 , suggesting that the proposed PVDF-nanofiber-reinforced photoelectrode is a promising candidate for a bendable photoelectrode in high-efficiency flexible plastic DSCs.

Electrospinning of Nanofibers for Energy Applications

“…When 5 wt % of hollow CNTs was added into TiO 2 NFs, the energy conversion efficiency of DSSCs reached 3.39%. Ko et al [191] prepared a novel nanostructured PVdF NFs/TiO 2 NP composite by electrospinning. The composite showed an outstanding bending stability because the PVdF NFs can reinforce the photoelectrode.…”

Preparation of flexible TiO2photoelectrodes for dye-sensitized solar cells

“…However, since the flexible substrates are resistant to a temperature above 150 °C so that the high temperature process is not suitable for preparing a flexible DSSCs. The performance of plastic substrate-based DSSCs is relatively lower than their glass substrate-based DSSCs, which is due to the poor thermal stability of the plastic conducting substrates such as, PET and PEN 5,6 . The low temperature annealing Doctor -blade steps leads to the poor connectivity between the substrates and TiO 2 film which causes low power conversion efficiencies.…”

A simple method to achieve light scattering in dye-sensitized solar cells using a low-temperature-sintering TiO2 paste

“…Recently, potential use of flexible DSSCs in various applications has generated interest, as this would offer benefits in terms of both cost and weight [4,5]. However, TiO 2 pastes used to adhere cells to a substrate require calcining at 450-500 1C to remove any residual binder, which is unsuitable when using flexible polyethylene terephthalate or polyethylene naphthalate substrates that are transformed at any temperature over 150 1C [6,7].…”