Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells: Components Screening for Glass substrate, Counter-Electrode, Photoanode and Electrolyte

The dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) represents a viable and low-cost alternative to generate electrical power by the sunlight. In the present work, the DSSC components such as glass substrate (ITO/FTO), counter-electrode (graphite/platinum), photoanode components (use or not of AuNPs as Shottky barriers) and electrolyte concentration and components were screened to understand their influence on device operation. FTO substrates and Pt counter-electrode were shown to perform best. However, the use of such metal does not comply with the device low cost approach. Gold nanoparticles in the photoanode did not result in an increase of efficiency. Finally, the electrolyte composition influenced the device performance: it was observed that the highest efficiency was obtained for the electrolytes containing 4-tert-butylpyridine together with smaller cations (such as Na and K) as counter-ions to triiodide. The highest efficiency achieved in this work was 1.26%.

Keywords:
DSSC; gold nanoparticles; Counter-electrode; Electrolyte Composition; Low-Cost Approach