Dye sensitized solar cells: an overview

• Type: Chapter or Part of a Book
• Date: 2010

Authors

Luísa Andrade (Author) FEUP; Helena Aguilar Ribeiro (Author) FEUP; Adélio Mendes (Author) FEUP

Book

Title: Energy Production and Storage: Inorganic Chemical Strategies for a Warming World

Pages: 53-72

ISBN: 978-0-470-74986-9

Scientific classification

CORDIS: Technological sciences > Engineering > Chemical engineering

FOS: Engineering and technology

Other information

Abstract (EN): Today, a particular interest in the development of alternative energy sources arises, especially motivated by the need of decreasing the dependency on fossil-fuel resources, and also for the prospect of reducing CO2 emissions. An attractive strategy to overcome the present energy problem is using renewable energy sources, such as the solar radiation, for producing clean energy. This article describes the main features of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs), explaining their structure and working principles, and highlighting the characteristics of the main materials for high-performance DSCs. After this brief discussion, the fundamentals behind electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) are described in order to allow the interpretation of the charge-transfer kinetics of the different phenomena occurring in a DSC under operation. A phenomenological model addressing the major charge-transfer mechanisms and energy losses is presented for a better understanding of the factors that limit the performance of DSCs. While a steady-state approach allows the construction of the current-voltage characteristics of the cell, the transient approach model is an invaluable tool to relate the phenomenological behavior with certain dynamic techniques, such as EIS.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 19