Porous One-Dimensional Photonic Crystals Improve the Power-Conversion Efficiency of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

The solar-to-electric power-conversion efficiency (71) of dye-sensitized solar cells can be greatly enhanced by integrating a mesoporous, nanoparticle-based, 1D photonic crystal as a coherent scattering layer in the device. The photogenerated current is greatly improved without altering the open-circuit voltage of the cell, while keeping the transparency of the cell intact. Improved average 77 values between 15% and 30% are attained.