An insight into device performance and hysteresis in dye-sensitized solar cell using 5-aminovaleric acid and 5-aminovaleric acid hydrochloride as electrolyte additives

Electrolyte additives in dye-sensitized solar (DSSC) were used to improve the overall device performance. However, the improvement in one device parameters is usually accompanied with a decay in another. Besides, hysteresis phenomena in DSSC are rarely discussed in when additives are used. Hysteresis calculations and analysis is inevitable to understand how the device behave and how accurately measure the performance. Here, I study the device performance and hysteresis before and after using 5-aminovaleric acid (5-AVA) and 5-aminovaleric acid hydrochloride (5-AVAHCl). These two additives seem similar in chemical structures, but both have totally different effect in device performance and hysteresis. Both additives improve all device performance parameters, JSC, VOC, and FF because they have dual effect. One effect is to increase the ionic conductivity of electrolyte by producing excess of iodide ions (I-) and the other is anchoring to TiO2 surface leading to lower electron recombination at TiO2/electrolyte interface. The optimum 5-AVA and 5-AVAHCl concentration is 0.1 mM. Hysteresis is significant in DSSCs fabricated with electrolyte containing 5-AVAHCl.

Automated summary

Electrolyte additives like 5-aminovaleric acid and 5-aminovaleric acid hydrochloride can enhance device performance in DSSCs, but their effects on hysteresis phenomena differ.