INDIVIDUAL ACCELERATED LIFETIME TESTS ON THE NATURAL DYE - SENSITISED SOLAR CELLS TO DETERMINE THE IMPACT OF DIFFERENT DEGRADATION FACTORSAND STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE STABILITY

摘要

In this contribution we report on the impact of individual accelerated tests on dye-sensitised solar cells(DSSCs) degradation. Influence of the different physical factors on the tested cells lifetimes has been demonstrated.An international IEC 61646 standard has been used as a reference for the choice of the individual tests and theinstruction for their further execution. The results obtained demonstrate that several exercises prescribed in thestandard, such as dark thermal and humidity cycles, outdoor exposure or indoor accelerated light soaking tests can beuseful in the assessment of the TCO glass-based DSSCs lifetime. The devices under tests have been sensitised withfour different natural dyes, obtained from the typical Mediterranean plants. The DSSCs sensitised with Pistacialentiscus extract demonstrate an interesting behaviour, related to the decline and retrieve of the generatedphotocurrent. Finally, some strategies to improve the natural dye based DSSCs lifetime have been proposed.