Fabrication of Dye Sensitized Solar Cell Based on Titanium Dioxide (TiO<sub>2</sub>)

Abstract

The Dye Sensitized Solar Cell (DSSC) plays an important role because of low material cost, ease of production and high conversion efficiency as compared to other thin-film solar cell technologies. The main objective is to create and find the best configuration of the solar cell based on materials that are inexpensive and highly efficient in solar energy conversion and subsequently test the efficiency of dye sensitized titanium dioxide solar cell. We begin the process with two glass plates coated with Fluorine tin oxide (FTO). Titanium dioxide is applied to the conductive side of one plate and the other plate is coated with graphite. A dye is adsorbed on to the TiO2 layer and then the plates are sandwiched together. A drop of iodide electrolyte is then added between the plates. The tests carried out indoors under a lamp emitting all wavelengths in the visible spectrum were not found to provide consistent data due to substantial heating of the cell. The outdoor tests carried out in natural sunlight exhibited steady voltage at much higher level. Future research will involve the incorporation of quantum dots instead of the organic dye as a sensitizer. Quantum dots have the advantages of providing tunable band gaps and the ability to absorb specific wavelength.