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Enhancing the Stability of Porphyrin Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells by Manipulation of Electrolyte Additives
Author(s) -
Lau Genevieve P. S.,
Tsao Hoi Nok,
Yi Chenyi,
Zakeeruddin Shaik M.,
Grätzel Michael,
Dyson Paul J.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
chemsuschem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.412
H-Index - 157
eISSN - 1864-564X
pISSN - 1864-5631
DOI - 10.1002/cssc.201403225
Subject(s) - porphyrin , electrolyte , dye sensitized solar cell , thiocyanate , salt (chemistry) , energy conversion efficiency , photochemistry , solvent , materials science , dyeing , chemistry , chemical engineering , electrode , inorganic chemistry , organic chemistry , optoelectronics , engineering
The use of porphyrin‐based photosensitizers with superior light‐harvesting properties has enabled the power conversion efficiency of dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSCs) to reach 13 % under full sun illumination. However, a major limitation of such devices corresponds to the volatility of the solvent used so far for the electrolyte, which prevents practical applications. In this work, we describe a porphyrin‐ionic liquid DSC, which not only affords the highest efficiency reported to date, but is also stable for more than 300 h under continuous full sun illumination at 60 °C. Furthermore, we identify a previously unreported pathway for device degradation, and show that the addition of N ‐methylbenzimidazole and a thiocyanate salt to the electrolyte is critical to obtaining long‐lived devices.