Optimized titanium dioxide photoanode on flexible substrates for dye-sensitized solar cell
Dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) which is the third-generation solar cell that utilized dye molecules to absorb light and convert it to electrical energy has a promising efficiency with the ongoing research worldwide. Many implementations have been made through various sub...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2020
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/90786/1/ITMA%202020%206%20-%20IR.pdf |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | Dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) which is the third-generation solar cell that utilized dye
molecules to absorb light and convert it to electrical energy has a promising efficiency with
the ongoing research worldwide. Many implementations have been made through various
substitution for materials, optimization on electrodes and assembly of the devices.
Since the conventional solid-state DSSC is very rigid to the shape, therefore, the flexible DSSC
was introduced. In this study, the flexible photoanode electrode was used to replace the FTO/glass
as photoanode electrode. The flexible substrate used is indium tin oxide/polyethylene terephthalate
(ITO/PET). However due to its character as a polymer, the limit sintering temperature is 150 ºC and
it could not withstand the high temperature of 450 ºC, which is needed for the titanium dioxide
(TiO2) photoanode deposited on electrode to remove the binder used inside the paste,
ensuring the particles between the TiO2 is porous and enhance the mobility of electrons generated
by N719 dye. Therefore, the free binder TiO2 paste was introduced and deposited using
doctor blade method, sintered at 120 ºC for 24 hours. However, the efficiency obtained is only
0.07 % which is due to due to weak adhesion to the substrate. Another approach of using flexible
titanium (Ti) foil substrate is proposed to overcome the intolerance of high temperature of
the ITO/PET as it could stand temperature of more than 450 ºC, lightweight and
flexible at some degree which is suitable to substitute the ITO/PET. Since it is
opaque, the back- illumination technique has been introduced. To improvise the performance, the
optimization of the device was done by optimizing the thickness of the TiO2 photoanode at 15.09
μm and N719 dye loading time for 45 hours. The thickness of the TiO2 leads to better
adsorption of dye N719 to collect photons and transfer the electrons while the thickness of Pt
counter electrode optimized at volume of 50 µL with thickness of 10 nm after sintering,
enhanced the absorption of lights. The result shows that Ti foil treated with H2O2 achieved
efficiency of 1.00% exceeded the back illuminated FTO/glass due to the strong particles interconnect between Ti foil surface and TiO2 nanoparticles network
that enhanced the electron transfer and reduce the electron recombination in
the device. |
|---|