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A Solar Cell That Is Triggered by Sun and Rain
Author(s) -
Tang Qunwei,
Wang Xiaopeng,
Yang Peizhi,
He Benlin
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.201602114
Subject(s) - solar cell , pseudocapacitor , graphene , solar energy , materials science , voltage , optoelectronics , environmental science , electrode , nanotechnology , physics , supercapacitor , electrical engineering , electrochemistry , engineering , quantum mechanics
All‐weather solar cells are promising in solving the energy crisis. A flexible solar cell is presented that is triggered by combining an electron‐enriched graphene electrode with a dye‐sensitized solar cell. The new solar cell can be excited by incident light on sunny days and raindrops on rainy days, yielding an optimal solar‐to‐electric conversion efficiency of 6.53 % under AM 1.5 irradiation and current over microamps as well as a voltage of hundreds of microvolts by simulated raindrops. The formation of π‐electron|cation electrical double‐layer pseudocapacitors at graphene/raindrop interface is contributable to current and voltage outputs at switchable charging–discharging process. The new concept can guide the design of advanced all‐weather solar cells.