ABSTRACT

Fang Lei, Kai-Xue Wang, and Jie-Sheng Chen School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dong Chuan Road, Shanghai 200240, People’s Republic of China k.wang@sjtu.edu.cn

The first and second generations of solar cells are based on crystallized and amorphous silicon and semiconductor thin films, respectively. However, the high cost and complexity in the producing of the first-and second-generation solar cells make these cells less competitive in the energy market and limit their popular applications. Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), a third generation of solar cells, offer the prospect of very low fabrication cost and presents attractive features that facilitate the market entry. Since Grätzel et al. reported their breakthrough work in making highly efficient DSSCs in 1991 [1], extensive attention from both industry and academy has been attracted. In 1991, the energy conversion efficiency of DSSCs made by Grätzel was approximately 7.2%. In 2001, the efficiency was increased to 10.4% [2]. In 2006, Han and his colleagues from Sharp Co. (Japan) reported a conversion efficiency of 11.1% using a black dye with an increase in the haze of the TiO2 electrode and the iodide/triiodide electrolyte [3]. In 2009, by using a new heteroleptic polypyridyl ruthenium sensitizer, an overall energy conversion efficiency of approximately 11.4% was reached, which is currently the record holder [4]. Compared to conventional silicon p-n junction cells, DSSCs hold the promise of lower fabrication costs and comparable energy conversion efficiency.