Examination of the Effect of Selected Factors on the Photovoltaic Response of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

摘要

The impact of photoanode preparation on the photovoltaic performance of dye-sensitized solar cells was investigated. The effects of titanium dioxide layer thickness, type of solvent and immersion time used for photoanode fabrication, and addition of coadsorbents and a cosensitizer on photon-to-current conversion efficiency and photovoltaic parameters were studied. Commercially available N719 and dyes prepared in our research group, 5,5′-bis(2-cyano-1-acrylic acid)-2,2′-bithiophene and 2-cyano-3-(2,2′:5′,2″-terthiophen-5-yl)acrylic acid, were applied as sensitizers. The effect of studied factors on UV–vis properties and morphology, that is, the root-mean-square roughness of the photoanode, was examined and correlated with the photovoltaic response of the constructed devices. Additionally, the amount of dye molecules adsorbed to the TiO_(2) was investigated. It was found that all considered factors significantly impacted photovoltaic parameters. Also, the photoanode stability was tested by measuring photovoltaic parameters after 14 months.