Dye-sensitized solar cells

Matthew L. Aitken
Department of Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado

January 10, 2012 Until recently, the photovoltaic (PV) industry has been dominated by first generation solar cells based on silicon wafers, which are prohibitively expensive at present and are thermodynamically constrained to an energy conversion efficiency of about 31%, known as the Shockley-Queisser limit. Newer thin-film designs based on cadmium telluride (CdTe) and copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) use less material and are therefore cheaper, but these second generation cells suffer from lower efficiency compared to their first generation counterparts. Consequently, third generation technologies characterized by both highperformance and low-cost must be developed for PV to become a viable source of electricity generation; in particular, the nascent dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) is one of the most promising alternatives to traditional PV technology (Grtzel 2001). To produce electric power, all solar cellswhether based on light absorption that generates excitons (quasiparticles corresponding to the bound state of an electron and hole) or direct free electron-hole pairsrequire a structure that breaks symmetry for free electrons and holes. This symmetry-breaking can result from built-in electrostatic fields or from effective fields arising from spatial variations in the density of states distribution. Conventional solid-state junction devices make use of the former approach, whereas DSSCs employ the latter (Fonash 2010). First developed by ORegan and Grtzel in 1991, the DSSC consists of a transparent (wide band gap) n-type semiconductor covered everywhere by a thin layer of dye, which absorbs light to produce excitons. An electrolyte permeates the resulting structure to act as a conduit between the dye and semiconductor. Under illumination, the excitons dissociate at the interface of the two media, resulting in photogenerated electrons for the semiconductor and oxidized dye molecules that must be reduced by the electrolyte. After collection at the semiconductor, the electrons flow through an external circuit to power a load and are then reintroduced to the cell at an electrode on the back, typically a platinum-based catalyst. The electrolyte then transports the electrons back to the oxidized dye molecules (Bisquert et al. 2004). The first DSSCs employed ruthenium dyes, although several organic dyes have been developed in recent years. Typically, TiO2 is used as the semiconductor network. The electrolyte is usually a liquid since it must fill the entire network to give electrical continuity, although alternatives have included gels and solid-phase hole conductors (Fonash 2010). The paper proposed here will begin with a brief introduction to the physics of solar cells, transitioning to a more specific overview of DSSC operational principles. Drawing on sources from the literature, recent advances and outstanding issues in the field will be discussed. The paper will conclude with future development prospects for this new generation of solar cell.

References
Bisquert, J., Cahen, D., Hodes, G., Rhle, S. & Zaban, A. Physical chemical principles of photovoltaic conversion with nanoparticulate, mesoporous dye-sensitized solar cells. J. Phys. Chem. B 108, 8106-8118 (2004). Fonash, S. J. Dye-sensitized solar cells. Solar cell device physics, 2nd ed. Elsevier Inc., 295-309 (2010). Grtzel, M. Photoelectrochemical cells. Nature 414, 338-344 (2001). ORegan, B. & Grtzel, M. A low-cost, high-efficiency solar cell based on dye-sensitized colloidal TiO2 films. Nature 353, 737-740 (1991).