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Surface passivation of titanium dioxide via an electropolymerization method to improve the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells

Mazloum Ardakani, M ; Sharif University of Technology | 2016

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  1. Type of Document: Article
  2. DOI: 10.1039/c5ra25406j
  3. Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry , 2016
  4. Abstract:
  5. In dye-sensitized solar cells recombination reactions at the TiO2 photoanode with the electrolyte interface plays a critical role in cell efficiency. Recombination of injected electrons in the TiO2 with acceptors in the electrolyte usually occurs on uncovered areas of TiO2 surfaces. In this work, we report electropolymerization of polymer films on nanoporous TiO2 electrode surfaces using an ionic liquid as the growth medium. The choice of ionic liquid as the growth medium for this study is based on the insolubility of dye N719 in this electrolyte, thus avoiding dye molecule detachment from the TiO2 photoanode surface over the entire potential range investigated during the electropolymerization. Consequently using this insulating and passivating polymer on the open areas of a nanoporous TiO2 surface the photovoltaic device efficiency most improved by 19%, furthermore, preventing detachment of dye molecules leads to an increase in stability of the dye-sensitized solar cells
  6. Keywords:
  7. Efficiency ; Electrolytes ; Electropolymerization ; Ionic liquids ; Molecules ; Passivation ; Polymer films ; Polymer solar cells ; Solar cells ; Solar power generation ; Titanium dioxide ; Electrode surfaces ; Electrolyte interfaces ; Injected electrons ; Photovoltaic devices ; Potential range ; Recombination reactions ; Surface passivation ; UnCovered Areas ; Dye-sensitized solar cells
  8. Source: RSC Advances ; Volume 6, Issue 15 , 2016 , Pages 12537-12543 ; 20462069 (ISSN)
  9. URL: http://pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/ArticleLanding/2016/RA/C5RA25406J#!divAbstract