Rapid CommunicationHigh performance dye-sensitized solar cells with inkjet printed ionic liquid electrolyte
Graphical abstract
‘Dye sensitized solar cells were fabricated without electrolyte filling holes in the FTO coated glass substrates by inkjet-printing the electrolyte. The technique provides an opportunity to reduce the overall fabrication costs while preserving high performance and good stability.’
Section snippets
Materials
TiO2 nanocrystalline paste (18-NRT, 20 nm) and TiO2 scattering paste (WER2-0, 400 nm) were purchased from Dyesol. Chloroplatinic acid hydrate (H2PtCl4·6H2O, purity 99.9%), Guanidine Thiocyanate (GuSCN, purity>99%), 1 Methylbenzimidazole (NMBI, purity 99%), 4-tert-butylpyridine (TBP, purity 96%) and all the solvents (Sulfolane 99% purity, 2-Propanol 99.5% anhydrous, Acetonitrile 99.8% anhydrous, 3-Methoxypropionitrile 98% purity and N, N Dimethylformamide 99.8% purity) were obtained from Sigma
Acknowledgment
Ghufran Hashmi thanks Academy of Finland (grant number 287641) for post-doctoral research grant and grateful to Dr S. M. Zakeeruddin and Professor Michael Gratzel for the useful discussions during the work and Armi Tiihonen for the help in cell ageing experiment. This work was also financed from the European Research Council for an Advanced Research Grant (ARG 247404) funded under “Mesolight” project. M. O thanks Select+(Environomical pathways for sustainable energy services) for doctoral
Ghufran Hashmi completed his D.Sc. (Tech) degree in Advanced Energy Systems from Aalto University-Finland in 2014. He has recently been awarded a 3 year post-doctoral research grant from Academy of Finland to work on flexible dye sensitized solar cells and perovskite solar cells. He is keenly involved in development of advanced printable precursor solutions, inks and pastes for energy applications and their deposition through established printing techniques. His research interests include nano
References (29)
- et al.
Nat. Chem.
(2014) - et al.
Energy Environ. Sci.
(2014) - et al.
Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev.
(2011) - et al.
Sol. Energy
(2009) - et al.
J. Electroanal. Chem.
(2012) - et al.
Science
(2011) - et al.
Energy Environ. Sci.
(2010) - et al.
J. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys.
(2013) - et al.
Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells
(2013) - et al.
Adv. Energy Mater.
(2014)
Adv. Funct. Mater.
Prog. Photovolt.: Res. Appl.
Nano Energy
Cited by (65)
Double-layered printable electrolytes for highly efficient dye-sensitized solar cells
2021, Journal of Power SourcesCitation Excerpt :In 2014, Seo et al. used PEO and TiO2 nanoparticles to prepare printable electrolytes, and the relevant solar cell reached an efficiency of 9.2%, as well as excellent durability under the light-soaking test [25]. Moreover, inkjet printing was introduced to the fabrication of hole-free DSSCs in 2015; the efficiencies of these solar cells were obviously better compared to the devices assembled by the traditional sealing process [26]. Very recently, Lee's group developed two kinds of polymer blend electrolytes (i.e., PEO/PVDF and PEO/PMMA); by properly regulating the polymer blend ratios, these electrolytes could be readily printed onto the photoelectrodes by doctor blading, and moreover, quasi-solid-state DSSCs with outstanding performance were obtained [27,28].
Recent progress in the development of printed electronic devices
2021, Chemical Solution Synthesis for Materials Design and Thin Film Device ApplicationsComparative photo-response performances of dye sensitized solar cells using dyes from selected plants
2020, Surfaces and InterfacesProspective life cycle assessment of third-generation photovoltaics at the pre-industrial scale: A long-term scenario approach
2020, Renewable and Sustainable Energy ReviewsDigital printing of efficient dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs)
2020, Solar EnergyAdhesion nanoarchitectonics of inkjet-printed silver nanoparticles on various substrates after furnace sintering
2024, Applied Physics A: Materials Science and Processing
Ghufran Hashmi completed his D.Sc. (Tech) degree in Advanced Energy Systems from Aalto University-Finland in 2014. He has recently been awarded a 3 year post-doctoral research grant from Academy of Finland to work on flexible dye sensitized solar cells and perovskite solar cells. He is keenly involved in development of advanced printable precursor solutions, inks and pastes for energy applications and their deposition through established printing techniques. His research interests include nano materials for energy applications, upscaling and long term stability of dye sensitized solar cells and perovskite solar cells.
Merve Özkan (M.Sc.) was graduated in 2012 from Information and Automation Engineering in University of Bremen. She has continued as a doctoral student in the SELECT+ doctoral programme (Environomical Pathways for Sustainable Energy Services) at Aalto University under supervision of Professor Jouni Paltakari. Her research work focuses on development of solar cells on flexible fiber based substrates.
Janne Halme has D.Sc. (Tech.) degree in engineering physics from Helsinki University of Technology and is currently a University Lecturer at the Aalto University School of Science. He has carried out both fundamental and applied research of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) with a particular focus on flexible printed devices and their advanced performance characterization techniques. His current research interests are in electrochemical energy conversion and storage, building integrated photovoltaics and ambient energy harvesting.
Dr Katarina Dimic-Misic is currently working as post-doctoral researcher at the Department of Forest Product Technology, Aalto University-Finland. She received her D. Sc (Tech) degree in the field of rheology of complex suspensions from Aalto University in 2014. Her research interests include rheological properties of fluids and their processing at industrial scale.
Shaik M Zakeeruddin received his Ph.D. from Osmania University, India in 1989. He then joined Prof. Grätzel’s group at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) as a post-doctoral fellow, remaining there as a senior scientist. The main areas of his research are nanomaterials, solar energy conversion, electrochromic displays, ionic liquids, lithium ion batteries, light-emitting diodes and biosensors. He has published over 280 peer-reviewed scientific papers and holds more than 20 patents. These contributions have often had a pioneering character and have been awarded a very large impact, with over 29,400 citations so far with h-index of 85. In a recently published top-100 chemist list of decade by Thomson Reuters, ranked 53rd for the chemist list and 29th for the material scientists list. (http://sciencewatch.com/dr/sci/misc/Top100Chemists2000–10/). Since March 2014 appointed as Distinguished Adjunct Professor at KAU, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Professor Jouni Paltakari (D.Sc. Tech) has a chair in paper converting and packaging technology at Aalto University. His research group focuses on unit operations and technologies for adding value for fibre based substrates in converting processes and packaging applications. Pigment coating solutions and new material combinations consisting e.g. nano-cellulose as a renewable biomaterial are of great interest in research and education. In addition, functional and intelligent solutions and products are also covered.
Professor Michael Grätzel of Physical Chemistry at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, he directs there the Laboratory of Photonics and Interfaces. He pioneered research in the field of energy and electron transfer reactions in mesoscopic systems and their use for the solar generation of electricity and fuels as well as lithium ions batteries. He received numerous awards including the Albert Einstein World Award of Science, the Paul Karrer Gold Medal, the 2010 Millennium Technology Grand Prize, and the 2009 Balzan Prize. Author of over 1300 publications, that received over 160’000 citations, and several books, he is a member of the German Academy of Science (Leopoldina) and other learned societies.
Peter D. Lund is Professor in Advanced Energy Systems at Aalto University-Finland. He is also Visiting Professor in Wuhan, China. His primary interest is on sustainable energy systems, including nanotechnology for energy appications, solar cells and fuel cells. Dr. Lund is active in senior roles with EU initiatives in energy: he chaired the Advisory Group Energy of E.C. 2002–06 and chairs the Energy Steering Panel of European Academies Science Advisory Council (EASAC). He has served in advisory role in many energy programs world-wide. Dr. Lund is Co-Editor for Global Challenges, Interdisciplinary Reviews: Energy and Environment, and Energy Research.