Temperature dependence of open-circuit voltage in dye-sensitized solar cells

Temperature, T, dependence of open-circuit voltage, V(oc), was investigated in home-assembled and maker-trial dye-sensitized solar cells, which had wide variety in V(oc), i.e. 600-800 mV. A linear decrease of V(oc) was observed with increasing T; all these cells had a slope of about -2.5 mV/degrees C, irrespective of the V(oc)s in the STC. The mechanism of the T dependence of V(oc) was discussed with the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, EIS. Analyses of EIS data with a newly derived model revealed that this dependence is primarily ascribed to a shift of the TiO(2) conduction band. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.