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 °C). An efficiency η_AM1.5G = 3.55% on ITO/PET substrates is obtained at 48 mW/cm² 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 η_AM1.5G = 2% was obtained under 10 mW/cm² with flexible TiO₂-ITO-PET photoanodes and the PVDF-HFP-SiO₂ + NMP gel electrolyte.