New Architectures for Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells

Martinson, Alex B. F.; Hamann, Thomas W.; Pellin, Michael J.; Hupp, Joseph T.

doi:10.1002/chem.200701667

Cited by 265 publications

(251 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…The resulting 1.8 µm mesoporous films were treated with UV-ozone for 10 min and immediately transferred to the ALD chamber (Savannah 100 ALD instrument, Cambridge Nanotech, Inc.) for ZrO 2 growth at 200°C. Alternating pulses of the precursors Zr(NMe 2 ) 4 and H 2 O were used, with reaction exposure times of 1 and 5 s, respectively, achieving a growth rate of 1.1 Å/cycle, as determined by ellipsometry on flat platforms. Prior to dye loading, the electrodes were again treated with UV-ozone and immersed in a 0.…”

Section: Experimental Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Surface Passivation of Nanoporous TiO₂ via Atomic Layer Deposition of ZrO₂ for Solid-State Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Applications

et al. 2009

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We report here the utilization of atomic layer deposition to passivate surface trap states in mesoporous TiO 2 nanoparticles for solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells based on 2,2′,7,7′-tetrakis(N,N-di-p-methoxyphenylamine)-9,9′-spirobifluorene (spiro-OMeTAD). By depositing ZrO 2 films with angstrom-level precision, coating the mesoporous TiO 2 produces over a two-fold enhancement in short-circuit current density, as compared to a control device. Impedance spectroscopy measurements provide evidence that the ZrO 2 coating reduces recombination losses at the TiO 2 /spiro-OMeTAD interface and passivates localized surface states. Lowfrequency negative capacitances, frequently observed in nanocomposite solar cells, have been associated with the surface-state mediated charge transfer from TiO 2 to the spiro-OMeTAD.

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Section: Experimental Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Surface Passivation of Nanoporous TiO₂ via Atomic Layer Deposition of ZrO₂ for Solid-State Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Applications

et al. 2009

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“…Due to a simple kinetic competition between electron collection and capture (by I 3 -), IPCEs are dramatically reduced when electron recombination is accelerated (lifetime shortened), an effect which has been modeled in detail. [7][8][9] It is not surprising then, that several novel photoanode architectures with the prospect of rapid charge collection have recently been explored. 4,[10][11][12][13] Access to these architectures has been facilitated by several attractive fabrication strategies, among them (a) surfactant-controlled crystallization, 10,14 (b) controlled film corrosion, 15 and (c) templated atomic-layer deposition (ALD).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electron Transport in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Based on ZnO Nanotubes: Evidence for Highly Efficient Charge Collection and Exceptionally Rapid Dynamics

et al. 2009

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Dye-sensitized solar cells based on ordered arrays of polycrystalline ZnO nanotubes, 64 µm in length, are shown to exhibit efficient electron collection over the entire photoanode array length. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, open-circuit photovoltage decay analysis, and incident-photon-to-current efficiency spectra are used to quantify charge transport and lifetimes. Despite the relatively thick photoanode, the charge extraction time is found to be faster than observed in traditional TiO 2 nanoparticle photoanodes. If the extraction dynamics are interpreted as diffusive, effective electron diffusion coefficients of up to 0.4 cm 2 s -1 are obtained, making these pseudo-1D photoanodes the fastest reported for an operating DSC to date. Rapid electron collection is of practical significance because it should enable alternative redox shuttles, which display relatively fast electron-interception dynamics, to be employed without significant loss of photocurrent.

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“…The most common electrolyte in high-performance DSCs uses the triiodide/iodide (I 3 2 /I 2 ) redox couple [4][5][6] . Even though this redox couple works efficiently, it has disadvantages, such as the corrosion of silver-based current collectors and the partial absorption of visible light around 430 nm by the triiodide species 7 . Therefore, it is important to study alternative redox couples [8][9][10][11] , including p-type semiconductors 12 and solid-state, hole-transporting materials 13 .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

An organic redox electrolyte to rival triiodide/iodide in dye-sensitized solar cells

et al. 2010

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Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) have achieved impressive conversion efficiencies for solar energy of over 11% with an electrolyte that contains triiodide/iodide as a redox couple. Although triiodide/iodide redox couples work efficiently in DSCs, they suffer from two major disadvantages: electrolytes that contain triiodide/iodide corrode electrical contacts made of silver (which reduces the options for the scale up of DSCs to module size) and triiodide partially absorbs visible light. Here, we present a new disulfide/thiolate redox couple that has negligible absorption in the visible spectral range, a very attractive feature for flexible DSCs that use transparent conductors as current collectors. Using this novel, iodide-free redox electrolyte in conjunction with a sensitized heterojunction, we achieved an unprecedented efficiency of 6.4% under standard illumination test conditions. This novel redox couple offers a viable pathway to develop efficient DSCs with attractive properties for scale up and practical applications. Since the beginning of the 1990s much attention has been paid to alternative energy sources, in particular to photovoltaic solar energy 1,2 . DSCs (or Grätzel cells) currently attract considerable interest because of their high light-to-electricity conversion efficiencies, relatively easy fabrication procedures and low production cost 3 . The most common electrolyte in high-performance DSCs uses the triiodide/iodide (I 3 2 /I 2 ) redox couple 4-6 . Even though this redox couple works efficiently, it has disadvantages, such as the corrosion of silver-based current collectors and the partial absorption of visible light around 430 nm by the triiodide species 7 . Therefore, it is important to study alternative redox couples [8][9][10][11] , including p-type semiconductors 12 and solid-state, hole-transporting materials 13 . Electrolytes composed of a high molecular weight poly(ethylene oxide)-based copolymer in complex with an alkali metal polysulfide (M 2 S n ; redox couple S n 22 /S nþ1 22) or a caesium thiolate salt (redox couple disulfide/thiolate) are used successfully in all solid-state, electrochemical photovoltaic cells (n-CdSe|polymer redox electrolyte|ITO, where ITO represents the indium-tin-oxide conductive layer on the glass electrode) 14,15 . These studies encouraged us to introduce disulfide/thiolate (T 2 /T 2 ) molecules (instead of I 3 2 /I 2 ones) as redox mediators in DSC electrolytes. Results and discussionCharacterization of the DSC redox couple. The redox couple T 2 /T 2 , where T 2 represents the 5-mercapto-1-methyltetrazole ion and T 2 stands for its dimer (Fig. 1), was characterized electrochemically (Supplementary Fig. S1) and studied as an electrolyte for DSCs. The redox potential for T 2 /T 2 was found to be 0.485 V against a normal hydrogen electrode (NHE, Supplementary Fig. S1), which is close to that of the I 3 2 /I 2 redox couple (reported values range from 0.4 V to 0.53 V against NHE in organic solvents 16,17 ) used in a DSC. Delocalization of the negative charge fo...

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New Architectures for Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells

Cited by 265 publications

References 57 publications

Surface Passivation of Nanoporous TiO₂ via Atomic Layer Deposition of ZrO₂ for Solid-State Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Applications

Surface Passivation of Nanoporous TiO₂ via Atomic Layer Deposition of ZrO₂ for Solid-State Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Applications

Electron Transport in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Based on ZnO Nanotubes: Evidence for Highly Efficient Charge Collection and Exceptionally Rapid Dynamics

An organic redox electrolyte to rival triiodide/iodide in dye-sensitized solar cells

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New Architectures for Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells

Cited by 265 publications

References 57 publications

Surface Passivation of Nanoporous TiO2 via Atomic Layer Deposition of ZrO2 for Solid-State Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Applications

Surface Passivation of Nanoporous TiO2 via Atomic Layer Deposition of ZrO2 for Solid-State Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Applications

Electron Transport in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Based on ZnO Nanotubes: Evidence for Highly Efficient Charge Collection and Exceptionally Rapid Dynamics

An organic redox electrolyte to rival triiodide/iodide in dye-sensitized solar cells

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Surface Passivation of Nanoporous TiO₂ via Atomic Layer Deposition of ZrO₂ for Solid-State Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Applications

Surface Passivation of Nanoporous TiO₂ via Atomic Layer Deposition of ZrO₂ for Solid-State Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Applications