An approach to laminated flexible Dye sensitized solar cells

We have built TiO2 Dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) that combined flexible TiO2 photoanodes coated on ITO/PET substrates with a gel electrolyte based on PVDF-HFP-SiO2 films. Titanium isopropoxide (TiP4) was used as additive to TiO2 nanoparticles for increasing power conversion efficiency in Dye sensitized solar cell electrodes prepared at low-temperature (130 degrees C). An efficiency eta(AM1.5G) = 3.55% on ITO/PET substrates is obtained at 48 mW/cm(2) illumination with a standard liquid electrolyte based on methoxypropionitrile. Among several solvents forming gels with PVDF-HFP-SiO2, N-methyl (pyrrolidone) (NMP) was found to enable the most stable devices. A power conversion efficiency eta(AM1.5G) = 2% was obtained under 10mW/cm(2) with flexible TiO2-ITO-PET photoanodes and the PVDF-HFP-SiO2 + NMP gel electrolyte. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.