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Fully Plastic Dye Solar Cell Devices by Low‐Temperature UV‐Irradiation of both the Mesoporous TiO 2 Photo‐ and Platinized Counter‐Electrodes
Author(s) -
Zardetto Valerio,
Di Giacomo Francesco,
GarciaAlonso Diana,
Keuning Wytze,
Creatore Mariadriana,
Mazzuca Claudia,
Reale Andrea,
Di Carlo Aldo,
Brown Thomas M.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
advanced energy materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 10.08
H-Index - 220
eISSN - 1614-6840
pISSN - 1614-6832
DOI - 10.1002/aenm.201300101
Subject(s) - materials science , electrode , auxiliary electrode , mesoporous material , irradiation , dye sensitized solar cell , solar cell , fabrication , energy conversion efficiency , optoelectronics , opacity , substrate (aquarium) , chemical engineering , nanotechnology , optics , catalysis , organic chemistry , medicine , chemistry , physics , alternative medicine , pathology , oceanography , engineering , nuclear physics , electrolyte , geology
The application of UV irradiation processes are successfully proposed for the first time in the fabrication of both of the two plastic electrodes in flexible dye solar cells (DSCs) and modules. For the realization of the photo‐electrode, a customized TiO 2 paste formulation and UV processing method was developed which yields 134% (48%) performance enhancement with respect to the same (binder‐free) paste treated at 120 °C. UV treatment induces both complete removal of organic media and more efficient charge collection. Significantly, highly catalytic platinized flexible counter‐electrodes are also obtained via UV photo‐induced reduction of screen‐printed platinum precursor pastes based on hexachloroplatinic acid. Using both UV‐processed electrodes, a fully plastic DSC is fabricated with a conversion efficiency of 4.3% under 1 Sun (semitransparent) and 5.3% under 0.2 Sun (opaque). Performance is within 10% of the efficiency of a glass‐based DSC prepared with the same materials but with conventional high temperature processes. The material formulations and processes are simple, and easily up‐scaled over large areas, even directly and simultaneously applicable to the preparation of both the photo‐and counter‐electrode on the same substrate which enabled us to demonstrate the first module on plastic realized with a W series interconnection.