Photovoltaic performance of dye-sensitized solar cell based on eosin-Y photosensitizer and quasi-solid state electrolyte

Abstract

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), as low-cost photovoltaic devices compared to the silicon based solar cells, have received extensive attention recently; although much work is necessary to reach optimal device efficiencies. This paper reports the fabrication and characterization of dye sensitized solar cells using TiO₂ sensitized by eosin-Y. The electrodes, electrolyte (I⁻∕I₃⁻), and dyes were assembled into a cell and illuminated by a light with an intensity 100 mWcm^-2 to measure the photoelectrochemical parameters of the prepared DSSCs. According to the experimental results, the maximum quantum efficiency appeared at the wavelength of 510 nm with IPCE of 64.2%. The short circuit current density (J_SC), the open circuit voltage (V_OC), and power conversion efficiency (η%) were measured to be 6.4 mAcm^-2, 0.54 V, and 2.2%, respectively. The result of UV-visible absorption and IPCE measurement showed that the IPCE correlated to the absorption spectrum of the active layer. The IPCE and η% obtained in the present work was higher than the values reported earlier for the liquid state electrolyte system indicating that the quasi-solid-state electrolyte could substitute the liquid state.