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Photovoltaic technology

Relay dye boosts efficiency

Nature Photonics volume 3, pages 373–374 (2009)Cite this article

Resonant energy-relay between two dye species allows photovoltaic harvesting of photons across a wider spectral range. This technique has been exploited to boost the efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells by 26%.

At present, most commercial photovoltaic devices are made from inorganic semiconductors, such as silicon, and operate with efficiencies of around 10–20%. Any significant increases in efficiency, achieved at low cost, would clearly accelerate the acceptance of solar energy as a mainstream renewable energy source. Organic solar cells represent an important opportunity to reduce the manufacturing cost of photovoltaic panels, if their efficiency can be improved.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Daniel J. Farrell and Nicholas J. Ekins-Daukes are at the Department of Physics & The Grantham Institute for Climate Change, Imperial College London, Prince Consort Road, London, SW7 2AZ, UK. daniel.farrell@imperial.ac.uk,

    Daniel J. Farrell & Nicholas J. Ekins-Daukes

  2. n.ekins-daukes@imperial.ac.uk,

    Daniel J. Farrell & Nicholas J. Ekins-Daukes

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  1. Daniel J. Farrell
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  2. Nicholas J. Ekins-Daukes
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Farrell, D., Ekins-Daukes, N. Relay dye boosts efficiency. Nature Photon 3, 373–374 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2009.108

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2009.108

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