Volume : 7, Issue : 4, April - 2018

SOLID-STATE ELECTROLYTES FOR DYE-SENSITIZED SOLAR CELLS

Dr. R. Mahendran, Mr. G. Sankar, Dr. P. Anbarasu, Dr. T. Sivakumar

Abstract :

<p>&nbsp;A dye‐sensitized solar cell (DSSC) is a low‐cost solar cell belonging to the group of thin 􀃶lm solar cells. It is based on a</p> <div>semiconductor formed between a photo‐sensitized anode and an electrolyte, a photoelectrochemical system.</div> <div>First version of a dye solar cell, also known as the Gr&auml;tzel cell, was invented by Michael Gratzel. In a traditional solar cell, it is made from two</div> <div>doped crystals, one doped with n‐type impurities (n type semiconductor), which add additional free conduction band electrons, and the</div> <div>other doped with p‐type impurities (p type semiconductor), which add additional electron holes. When placed in contact, some of the</div> <div>electrons in the n‐type portion 􀃸ow into the p‐type to &quot;􀃶ll in&quot; the missing electrons, also known as electron holes. Eventually enough</div> <div>electrons will 􀃸ow across the boundary to equalize the Fermi levels of the two materials. The result is a region at the interface, the p‐ n</div> <div>junction, where charge carriers are depleted and/or accumulated on each side of the interface. In silicon, this transfer of electrons produces</div> <div>a potential barrier of about 0.6 to 0.7 V. Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have aroused intense interest over the past decade owing to their</div> <div>low cost and simple preparation procedures. Much effort has been de-voted to the study of electrolytes that enable light-to-electrical</div> <div>power conversion for DSSC applications. This review focuses on recent progress in the 􀃶eld of liquid, solid-state, and quasi-solid-state</div> <div>electrolytes for DSSCs.</div>