Improved high-temperature dye-sensitised solar cells
20 February 2008
News
As cost and environmental concerns drive more users away from fossil-fuel-based electricity toward renewable alternatives, researchers are exploring ways to build inexpensive yet efficient photovoltaic cells to harvest energy from the sun. One popular type of cell, made from an electrode material such as titanium dioxide sensitised with an organic dye, is relatively cheap to manufacture and operates with up to 11% efficiency.
However, these cells are impractical for most outdoor applications as they contain volatile solvents that would evaporate outdoors in warm temperatures. Writing in the journal Small, a team of researchers in Switzerland reports that they have developed a modified form of dye-sensitised titanium dioxide solar cell that does not involve volatile solvents. This allows it to remain stable for longer while still providing acceptable performance.
"A photovoltaic conversion efficiency of 7,6% was obtained under simulated full sunlight illumination, which is a record for solvent-free dye-sensitised solar cells," said Michael Grätzel, one of the authors of the report.
Grätzel and colleagues used a combination of two 'ionic liquids,' recently developed solvent-free electrolytes that behave in some ways like molten salts, as the redox electrolyte in their cells. They also incorporated a highly conjugated ruthenium-based dye to improve the performance of the system, significantly outperforming previous attempts at solvent-free dye-sensitised solar cells.
The researchers found that their system maintained its stability in the dark at temperatures of up to 80°C, and in full light at up to 60°C over 1000 hours in accelerated ageing tests, with the system retaining 90% of its performance even after the test. They believe the system can be improved still more.
"The present results are very encouraging, pointing at future opportunities to further enhance the performance of this very important solvent-free dye-sensitised solar cell system," said Grätzel.
For more information contact Patrick Cairns, Frost & Sullivan, +27 (0)21 680 3274, patrick.cairns@frost.com
Further reading:
Altron celebrates 60th birthday with a call to rebuild Johannesburg
Altron Arrow
News
Altron is celebrating its 60th birthday by honouring Johannesburg’s heritage and encouraging business, government and civil society to come together and respond to our President’s call to rebuild Johannesburg.
Read more...
Electronic News Digest
News
A brief synopsis of current global news relating to the electronic engineering fields with regards to company finances, general company news, and engineering technologies.
Read more...
Jemstech to produce PCB assemblies for Kamstrup
Jemstech
News
Jemstech is pleased to announce that they have successfully concluded a supplier agreement with Kamstrup A/S in Denmark, a leading supplier of intelligent metering solutions in the global market.
Read more...
New appointments at Hiconnex
Hiconnex
News
Hiconnex, a leading provider of electronic components and solutions, has announced key appointments to support its continued growth and commitments to its clients.
Read more...
FoundriesFactory service more affordable for smaller OEMs
News
Foundries.io has announced a new, tiered pricing scheme which reduces the cost of its highly regarded FoundriesFactory service for OEMs in the development phase of a new edge AI or Linux OS-based product.
Read more...
DMASS 2024 results
News
The semiconductor business faced a severe downturn, with a 31,9% decrease compared to 2023 and a 30,3% drop in Q4 2024 compared to the same period last year.
Read more...
Using satellite comms to end copper theft
News
According to Transnet COO Solly Letsoalo, the scourge of copper theft could be a thing of the past by eliminating the use of copper cabling and switching to a satellite communication system.
Read more...
Strategic merger: Etion Create and Nanoteq
Etion Create
News
Reunert has announced the successful merger of two business units within the Applied Electronics Segment, namely Etion Create and Nanoteq, effective 1 October 2024.
Read more...
Securex South Africa 2025
Specialised Exhibitions
News
Securex South Africa 2025 is co-located with A-OSH EXPO, Facilities Management Expo, and Firexpo to provide a time-saver for visitors looking for holistic solutions for their facilities.
Read more...
Chinese AI causes Silicon Valley stocks to tumble
News
Many stocks took a downward spike, with Nvidia being the hardest hit, losing 16,9% after one day’s trading.
Read more...
printer friendly version