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Increased light harvesting in dye-sensitized solar cells with energy relay dyes

Nature Photonics volume 3, pages 406–411 (2009)Cite this article

An Addendum to this article was published on 01 November 2009

This article has been updated

Abstract

Conventional dye-sensitized solar cells have excellent charge collection efficiencies, high open-circuit voltages and good fill factors. However, dye-sensitized solar cells do not completely absorb all of the photons from the visible and near-infrared domain and consequently have lower short-circuit photocurrent densities than inorganic photovoltaic devices. Here, we present a new design where high-energy photons are absorbed by highly photoluminescent chromophores unattached to the titania and undergo Förster resonant energy transfer to the sensitizing dye. This novel architecture allows for broader spectral absorption, an increase in dye loading, and relaxes the design requirements for the sensitizing dye. We demonstrate a 26% increase in power conversion efficiency when using an energy relay dye (PTCDI) with an organic sensitizing dye (TT1). We estimate the average excitation transfer efficiency in this system to be at least 47%. This system offers a viable pathway to develop more efficient dye-sensitized solar cells.

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Figure 1: Schematic representation of a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) with energy relay dyes (ERDs).
Figure 2: PTCDI and TT1 properties.
Figure 3: Quenching of PTCDI by electrolyte species.
Figure 4: Modelled average excitation transfer efficiency as a function of pore diameter for spherical and cylindrical pores.
Figure 5: Photocurrent density–voltage (J–V) characteristics of devices with (13 mM PTGCDI) and without (0 mM PTCDI) energy relay dye (ERD) under AM 1.5G (100 mW cm−2).
Figure 6: Light harvesting characteristics of the energy relay dye (ERD) dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC).

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Change history

  • 30 October 2009

    The authors of the above article would like to add a citation to a highly relevant manuscript that was published in March 2009. The uncited manuscript is K. Shankar, X. Feng & C. A. Grimes ACS Nano 3, 788–794; 2009, and also uses a dye-molecule energy transfer approach to enhance solar cell efficiency. In addition, the authors wish to correct both the affiliation for Tomás Torres, and the acknowledgements section. These latter two corrections have been made in all versions of the article.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Y.C. Jun and M.L. Brongersma for access to time–resolved PL measurement equipment and assistance with measurements. B.E.H. would like to thank P. Péchy for his assistance in making the electrolyte. This work was supported by the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Center for Advanced Molecular Photovoltaics and by the Office of Naval Research contract no. N00014-08-1-1163. B.E.H. received financial support from the National Department of Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship (NDSEG). E.T.H. is supported by the National Science Foundation GRFP and the Fannie and John Hertz Foundation. J.M.F. is supported by DOEBES contract DE-AC02-05CH11231. Financial support from ESF (SOHYDs), EU (ROBUST DSC, FP7-Energy-2007-1-RTD, 212792), MCyT (CTQ2008-00418/BQU, Consolider-Ingenio 2010 CSD2007-00010), MICINN (FOTOMOL, PSE-120000-2008-3) and CAM (MADRISOLAR, S-0505/PPQ/0225) are also gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Material Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, 94305-4045, California, USA

    Brian E. Hardin, Eric T. Hoke & Michael D. McGehee

  2. Laboratoire de Photonique et Interfaces, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, CH-1015, Switzerland

    Brian E. Hardin, Jun-Ho Yum, Pascal Comte, Md Khaja Nazeeruddin & Michael Grätzel

  3. Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, 94720-1460, California, USA

    Paul B. Armstrong & Jean M. J. Fréchet

  4. Departamento de Química Orgánica (C-I), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, 28049, Madrid, Spain

    Tomás Torres

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Contributions

B.E.H. assembled the DSCs and performed measurements for Figs 3,  5 and  6. E.T.H. modelled the excitation transfer efficiency for the spherical and cylindrical geometries shown in Fig. 4. P.B.A. synthesized the ERD (PTCDI) and T.T. synthesized the sensitizing dye (TT1). P.C. fabricated the TiO2 electrodes and provided BET data to determine pore size. J.Y.H. and M.K.N. measured dye absorption and dye adsorption on TiO2 and provided guidance in electrolyte design. J.M.J., M.G. and M.D.M. provided technical advice on dye design and DSC device physics.

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Correspondence to Michael D. McGehee.

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Hardin, B., Hoke, E., Armstrong, P. et al. Increased light harvesting in dye-sensitized solar cells with energy relay dyes. Nature Photon 3, 406–411 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2009.96

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