International Collaboration on Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Conventional solar cells use silicon to absorb sunlight, generating electricity. A new generation of solar cells is being developed which is based on imitating the way that the green leaf uses sunlight to drive the biochemical process that lead to the reduction of atmospheric carbon dioxide to sugar and starches. These so-called dye-sensitized solar cells use dye molecules adsorbed in a thin porous film of high surface area titanium dioxide particles to absorb sunlight. When the dye molecules absorb light, they eject electron into the titanium dioxide, giving rise to a voltage and a current. Several groups round the world are working on these new solar cells, and the objective of the current proposal is to allow the applicant to visit three internationally leading laboratories for discussions and joint measurements in order to advance scientific understanding and ultimately technological progress