Abstract
Dye-sensitized nanocrystalline solar cells (DSC) have received considerable attention as a cost-effective alternative to conventional solar cells. One of the main factors that has hampered widespread practical use of DSC is the poor thermostability encountered so far with these devices. Here we show a DSC with unprecedented stable performance under both thermal stress and soaking with light, matching the durability criteria applied to silicon solar cells for outdoor applications. The cell uses the amphiphilic ruthenium sensitizer cis-RuLL′(SCN)2 (L = 4,4′-dicarboxylic acid-2,2′-bipyridine, L′ = 4,4′-dinonyl-2,2′-bipyridine) in conjunction with a quasi-solid-state polymer gel electrolyte, reaching an efficiency of >6% in full sunlight (air mass 1.5, 100 mW cm−2). A convenient and versatile new route is reported for the synthesis of the heteroleptic ruthenium complex, which plays a key role in achieving the high-temperature stability. Ultramicroelectrode voltammetric measurements show that the triiodide/iodide couple can perform charge transport freely in the polymer gel. The cell sustained heating for 1,000 h at 80 °C, maintaining 94% of its initial performance. The device also showed excellent stability under light soaking at 55 °C for 1,000 h in a solar simulator (100 mW cm−2) equipped with a ultraviolet filter. The present findings should foster widespread practical application of dye-sensitized solar cells.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $21.58 per issue
Rent or buy this article
Prices vary by article type
from$1.95
to$39.95
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
*In this article, the x axis of the inset in Fig. 1 was incorrectly shown to be 1,000/(T-To) (K-1), whereas it should be 1,000/T (K-1). There will be a print amendment in the July issue.
References
O'Regan, B. & Grätzel, M. A low cost, high efficiency solar cell based on dye-sensitized colloidal TiO2 films. Nature 353, 737–740 ( 1991).
Nazeeruddin, M.K. et al. Conversion of light to electricity by cis-X2-bis(2,2'-bipyridyl-4,4'-dicarboxalate)ruthenium(II) charge transfer sensitizers (X=Cl−, Br−, I−, CN−, and SCN−) on nanocrystalline TiO2 electrodes. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 115, 6382–6390 ( 1993).
Hagfeldt, A. & Grätzel, M. Molecular photovoltaics. Accounts Chem. Res. 33, 269–277 ( 2000).
Grätzel, M. Photoelectrochemical cells. Nature 414, 338–344 ( 2001).
Nazeeruddin, M.K. et al. Engineering of efficient panchromatic sensitizers for nanocrystalline TiO2-based solar cells. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 123, 1613–1624 ( 2001).
Papageogiou, N. et al. The performance and stability of ambient temperature molten salts for solar cell applications. J. Electrochem. Soc. 143, 3009–3108 ( 1996).
Kohle, O. et al. The photovoltaic stability of bis(isothiocyanato)ruthenium(II)-bis-2,2'-bipyridine-4,4'-dicarboxylic acid and related sensitizers. Adv. Mater. 9, 904–906 ( 1997).
Pettersson, H. & Gruszecki, T. Long-term stability of low-power dye-sensitised solar cells prepared by industrial methods. Solar Energy Mater. Solar Cells 70, 203–211 ( 2001).
Kern, R. et al. Long-term stability of dye-sensitized solar cells for large area power applications. Opto-Electron. Rev. 8, 284–288 ( 2001).
Hinsch, A. et al. Long-term stability of dye-sensitised solar cells. Prog. Photovoltaics 9, 425–438 ( 2001).
Pettersson, H. et al. Manufacturing method for monolithic dye-sensitized solar cells permitting long-term stable low-power modules. Solar Energy Mater. Solar Cells 77, 405–413 ( 2003).
Kay, A. & Grätzel, M. Low cost photovoltaic modules based on dye sensitized nanocrystalline titanium dioxide and carbon powder. Solar Energy Mater. Solar Cells 44, 99–117 ( 1996).
Saito, Y. et al. Application of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) to counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells. Chem. Lett. 1060–1061 ( 2002).
Suzuki, K. et al. Application of carbon nanotubes to counter electrodes of dye-sensitized solar cells. Chem. Lett. 32, 28–29 ( 2003).
Oskam, G. et al. Pseudohalogens for dye-sensitized TiO2 photoelectrochemical cells. J. Phys. Chem. B 105, 6867–6873 ( 2001).
Nusbaumer, H. et al. CoII(dbbip)22+ complex rivals tri-iodide/iodide redox mediator in dye-sensitized photovoltaic cells. J. Phys. Chem. B 105, 10461–10464 ( 2001).
Sapp, S.A. et al. Substituted polypyridine complexes of cobalt(II/III) as efficient electron transfer mediators in dye-sensitized solar cells. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 124, 11215–11222 ( 2002).
Ferrere, S. & Gregg, B.A. Photosensitization of TiO2 by [FeII(2,2'-bipyridine-4,4'-dicarboxylic acid)2(CN)2]: band selective electron injection from ultra-short-lived excited states. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 120, 843–844 ( 1998).
Hou, Y.-J. et al. Influence of the attaching group and substituted position in the photosensitization behavior of ruthenium polypyridyl complexes. Inorg. Chem. 38, 6320–6322 ( 1999).
Monat, J.E. & McCusker, J.K. Femtosecond excited dynamics of an iron(II) polypyridyl solar cell sensitizer model. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 122, 4092–4097 ( 2000).
Sauvé, G. et al. Dye sensitization of nanocrystalline titanium dioxide with osmium and ruthenium polypyridyl complexes. J. Phys. Chem. B 104, 6821–6836 ( 2000).
Yanagida, M. et al. Dye-sensitized solar cells based on nanocrystalline TiO2 sensitized with a novel pyridylquinoline ruthenium(II) complex. New J. Chem. 26, 963–965 ( 2002).
Li, X. et al. New peripherally-substituted naphthalocyanines: synthesis, characterization and evaluation in dye-sensitised photoelectrochemical solar cells. New J. Chem. 26, 1076–1080 ( 2002).
He, J. et al. Modified phthalocyanines for efficient near-IR sensitisation of nanostructured TiO2 electrode. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 124, 4922–4932 ( 2002).
Hara, K. et al. Novel polyene dyes for highly efficient dye-sensitized solar cells. Chem. Commun. 252–253 ( 2003).
Kumara, G.R.A. et al. Fabrication of dye-sensitized solar cells using triethylamine hydrothiocyanate as a CuI crystal growth inhibitor. Langmuir 18, 10493–10495 ( 2002).
O'Regan, B. et al. A solid-state dye-sensitized solar cell fabricated with pressure-treated P25-TiO2 and CuSCN: analysis of pore filling and IV characteristics. Chem. Mater. 14, 5023–5029 ( 2002).
Krüger, J. et al. Improvement of the photovoltaic performance of solid-state dye-sensitized device by silver complexation of the sensitizer cis-bis(4,4 '-dicarboxy-2,2 ' bipyridine)-bis(isothiocyanato) ruthenium(II). Appl. Phys. Lett. 81, 367–369 ( 2002).
Cao, F., Oskam, G. & Searson, P.C. A solid-state, dye-sensitized photoelectrochemical cell. J. Phys. Chem. 99, 17071–17073 ( 1995).
Nogueira, A.F., Durrant, J.R. & De Paoli, M.A. Dye-sensitized nanocrystalline solar cells employing a polymer electrolyte. Adv. Mater. 13, 826–830 ( 2001).
Kubo, W. et al. Quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells using room temperature molten salts and a low molecular weight gelator. Chem. Commun. 374–375 ( 2002).
Wang, P. et al. High efficiency dye-sensitized nanocrystalline solar cells based on ionic liquid polymer gel electrolyte. Chem. Commun. 2972–2973 ( 2002).
Wang, P. et al. Gelation of ionic liquid-based electrolytes with silica nanoparticles for quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 125, 1166–1167 ( 2003).
Tarascon, J.-M. & Armand, M. Issues and challenges facing rechargeable lithium batteries. Nature 414, 359–367 ( 2001).
Zakeeruddin, S.M. et al. Design, synthesis, and application of amphiphilic ruthenium polypyridyl photosensitizers in solar cells based on nanocrystalline TiO2 films. Langmuir 18, 952–954 ( 2002).
Kataoka, H. et al. Interactive effect of the polymer on carrier migration nature in the chemically cross-linked polymer gel electrolyte composed of poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate. J. Phys. Chem. B 106, 12084–12087 ( 2002).
Gu, G.Y. et al. 2-Methoxyethyl (methyl) carbonate-based electrolytes for Li-ion batteries. Electrochim. Acta 45, 3127–3139 ( 2000).
Wightman, R.M & Wipf, D.O. in Electroanalytical Chemistry Vol. 15 (ed. Bard, A.J.) 283 (Marcel Dekker, New York, 1989).
Pelet, S., Moser, J.E & Grätzel, M. Cooperative effect of adsorbed cations and iodide on the interception of back electron transfer in the dye sensitization of nanocrystalline TiO2 . J. Phys. Chem. B 104, 1791–1795 ( 2000).
Haque, S. et al. Parameters influencing charge recombination kinetics in dye-sensitized nanocrystalline titanium dioxide films. J. Phys. Chem. B 104, 538–547 ( 2000).
Moser, J.E. et al. Comment on “Measurement of ultrafast photoinduced electron transfer from chemically anchored Ru-dye molecules into empty electronic states in a colloidal anatase TiO2 film”. J. Phys. Chem. B 102, 3649–3650 ( 1998).
Bonhôte, P et al. Hydrophobic, highly conductive ambient-temperature molten salts. Inorg. Chem. 35, 1168–1178 ( 1996).
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to P. Péchy, I. Exnar and P. Liska for fruitful discussions, T. Koyanagi (CCIC, Japan) for providing the 400 nm TiO2 particles and P. Comte for TiO2 film fabrication. The Swiss Science Foundation, Swiss Federal Office for Energy (OFEN) and the European Office of US Air Force under Contract No. F61775–00–C0003 have supported this work.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing financial interests.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wang, P., Zakeeruddin, S., Moser, J. et al. A stable quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cell with an amphiphilic ruthenium sensitizer and polymer gel electrolyte. Nature Mater 2, 402–407 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat904
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat904
This article is cited by
-
Interrelationship dynamics between stock markets of nation under debt crisis and its major trading partners: evidence from Sri Lankan crisis
Future Business Journal (2024)
-
Testing the performance of dye sensitized solar cells under various temperature and humidity environments
Journal of Applied Electrochemistry (2024)
-
Iron cobalt selenide counter electrode for application in dye-sensitized solar cell: synthesis parameter, structural, electrochemical, and efficiency studies
Ionics (2024)
-
TiO2 blocking layer incorporated TiO2/In2O3-based photoanode for DSSC application
Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics (2023)
-
Photoanode modified with nanostructures for efficiency enhancement in DSSC: a review
Carbon Letters (2023)