This work focuses on the design of composite photoanodes with dual-mode luminescent function as well as the effects of luminescent phosphors on the photoelectric properties of dye-sensitized solar cells. Specifically, hexagonal phase NaYF4:Yb(3+)/Er(3+) microcrystals were prepared by a hydrothermal method and added to the TiO2 photoanodes of dye-sensitized solar cells. The results indicated tha...

Gel polymer electrolytes using imidazolium based ionic liquids have attracted much attention in dye-sensitized solar cell applications. Hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC), sodium iodide (NaI), 1-methyl-3-propylimidazolium iodide (MPII) as ionic liquid (IL), ethylene carbonate (EC) and propylene carbonate (PC) are used for preparation of non-volatile gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) system (HPC:EC:PC:Na...

Herein we report a theoretical analysis of the efficiency of dye sensitized solar cells in which colloidal crystals are introduced in different configurations. We find that piling up different lattice constant crystals leads to light harvesting enhancement in the whole dye absorption range. We provide the optimum structural features of such photonic crystal multilayer needed to achieve a photoc...

In this investigation, Ag@TiO2 nanocomposite was prepared by deposition of silver nanoclusters onto commercial TiO2 nanoparticles (known as P25 TiO2) via photodeposition technique as clean and simple photochemical route. The synthesized Ag@TiO2 nanocomposite was utilized in the fabrication of dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) chiefly because, compared ...

and Abstract My project this summer took place in the lab of Dr. in the Oxford Physics Department. I worked for ten weeks on solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells that incorporated the polymer hole-transporter poly(3-hexylthiopene) (P3HT) and a number of different dyes. The larger goal of the project is to extend solid-state solar cells' photoresponse by taking advantage of a favorable energy-...

A zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) derivative (Zn-tri-PcNc-8) containing tri-benzonaphtho-condensed porphyrazine with one carboxylic and six diphenylphenoxy peripheral substitutions was designed and synthesized as a sensitizer for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). For the purpose of extending the absorption spectra while minimizing the formation of ZnPc molecular aggregates, bulky 2,6-diphenylpheno...

In this work, a method to assemble nanoscale hybrid solar cells in the form of a brush of radially oriented CdS nanowire crystals around a single carbon fiber is demonstrated for the first time. A solar cell was assembled on a carbon fiber with a diameter of ~5-10 μm which served as a core electrode; inorganic CdS nanowire crystals and organic dye or polymer layers were successively deposited o...

Inverse-vulcanized polymeric sulfur has been prepared and utilized for solid-state dye sensitized solar cells. A power conversion efficiency of 1.5% was recorded with a short-circuit current of 4.1 mA cm(-2) and an open-circuit voltage of 0.75 V under standard AM 1.5G illumination (1000 W m(-2)). The results in the present study qualify the new polymeric sulfur material as a future candidate as...

Excitonic solar cells-including organic, hybrid organic-inorganic and dye-sensitized cells (DSCs)-are promising devices for inexpensive, large-scale solar energy conversion. The DSC is currently the most efficient and stable excitonic photocell. Central to this device is a thick nanoparticle film that provides a large surface area for the adsorption of light-harvesting molecules. However, nanop...