Dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) is the only solar cell that can offer both the flexibility and transparency. Its efficiency is comparable to amorphous silicon solar cells but with a much lower cost. This review not only covers the fundamentals of DSSC but also the related cutting-edge research and its development for industrial applications. Most recent research topics on DSSC, for example, ap...

As a relatively new class of photovoltaic devices with a photoelectrochemical system consisting of a dye-sensitized semiconductor film and an electrolyte, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have been regarded as a promising alternative to conventional solid-state semiconductor solar cells. They are relatively cost-effective, are easy to manufacture, and can be readily shaped with flexible subst...

Two different natural dyes containing anthocyanin extracted from black carrot and bramble from Iran. Spectrophotometric evaluations of the natural dyes in solution and on a TiO2 substrate were carried out in order to assess changes in the status of the natural dyes. The results show that the natural dyes indicate buthochromic shift on the TiO2 substrates. The chemical adsorption of natural dyes...

Light scattering is a method that has been employed in dye-sensitized solar cells for optical absorption enhancement. In conventional dye-sensitized solar cells, large TiO(2) particles with sizes comparable to the wavelength of visible light are used as scatterers by either being mixed into the nanocrystalline film to generate light scattering or forming a scattering layer on the top of the nan...

A new strategy for enhancing the efficiency of TiO2 dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) by doping foreign ion into TiO2 lattice via sol-gel process is reported. DSSCs are based on a semiconductor (i.e., TiO2), formed between a photo-sensitized anode and an electrolyte. In order to reach high conversion efficiency, it is important to increase the electron injection and optical absorption. One pro...

Owing to well-defined structural parameters and enhanced electronic properties, highly ordered TiO(2) nanotube arrays have been employed to substitute TiO(2) nanoparticles for use in dye-sensitized solar cells. To further improve the performance of dye-sensitized TiO(2) nanotube solar cells, efforts have been directed toward the optimization of TiO(2) photoanodes, dyes, electrolytes, and co...

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 ...

Dye-sensitized solar cells are a promising alternative to traditional inorganic semiconductor-based solar cells. Here we report an open-circuit voltage of over 1,000 mV in mesoscopic dye-sensitized solar cells incorporating a molecularly engineered cobalt complex as redox mediator. Cobalt complexes have negligible absorption in the visible region of the solar spectrum, and their redox propertie...

The hole transporting medium in solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells can be utilized to harvest sunlight. Herein we demonstrate that a triphenylamine-based dye, used as hole-transporting medium, contributes to the photocurrent in a squaraine-sensitized solid-state dye-sensitized solar cell. Steady-state photoluminescence measurements have been used to distinguish between electron transfer and...