Enhanced solar light harvesting and charge transport in dye-sensitized solar cells
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Oxford
Department Name: Oxford Physics
Abstract
Dye-sensitized solar cells are moderately efficient with verified solar-to-electrical power conversion efficiencies of over 12% reported. However, even in the state-of-the-art systems only a fraction of the incident sun light is absorbed, implying substantial scope for improvement. Here we develop both state-of-the-art liquid electrolyte based DSCs and contemporary solid-state hybrid DSCs with the target being to considerably enhance the light capture and adsorption in these devices and also significantly improve the charge transport characteristics. Routes to both improve the photonic structure of the solar cells, create improved semiconducting oxide electrodes for enhanced charge transport and collection and develop and optimise new sensitizers for these systems shall be undertaken.
People |
ORCID iD |
Henry Snaith (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Snaith H
(2009)
Charge Generation and Photovoltaic Operation of Solid-State Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Incorporating a High Extinction Coefficient Indolene-Based Sensitizer
in Advanced Functional Materials
Crossland EJ
(2009)
Block copolymer morphologies in dye-sensitized solar cells: probing the photovoltaic structure-function relation.
in Nano letters
Snaith H
(2009)
Estimating the Maximum Attainable Efficiency in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells
in Advanced Functional Materials
Tiwana P
(2009)
Ultrafast Terahertz Conductivity Dynamics in Mesoporous TiO 2 : Influence of Dye Sensitization and Surface Treatment in Solid-State Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells
in The Journal of Physical Chemistry C
Huang D
(2009)
Optical description of solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells. II. Device optical modeling with implications for improving efficiency
in Journal of Applied Physics
Nedelcu M
(2010)
Monolithic route to efficient dye-sensitized solar cells employing diblock copolymers for mesoporous TiO 2
in J. Mater. Chem.
Docampo P
(2010)
Control of Solid-State Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Performance by Block-Copolymer-Directed TiO 2 Synthesis
in Advanced Functional Materials
Schuettfort T
(2010)
Synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of solution processable highly ordered polythiophene-carbon nanotube nanohybrid structures.
in Nanotechnology
Snaith HJ
(2010)
SnO2-based dye-sensitized hybrid solar cells exhibiting near unity absorbed photon-to-electron conversion efficiency.
in Nano letters
Brown M
(2011)
Surface Energy Relay Between Cosensitized Molecules in Solid-State Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells
in The Journal of Physical Chemistry C
Abrusci A
(2011)
Influence of Ion Induced Local Coulomb Field and Polarity on Charge Generation and Efficiency in Poly(3-Hexylthiophene)-Based Solid-State Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells
in Advanced Functional Materials
Snaith H
(2011)
Lead-sulphide quantum-dot sensitization of tin oxide based hybrid solar cells
in Solar Energy
Guldin S
(2011)
Improved conductivity in dye-sensitised solar cells through block-copolymer confined TiO 2 crystallisation
in Energy Environ. Sci.
Abrusci A
(2011)
Facile infiltration of semiconducting polymer into mesoporous electrodes for hybrid solar cells
in Energy & Environmental Science
Docampo P
(2012)
Triblock-Terpolymer-Directed Self-Assembly of Mesoporous TiO 2 : High-Performance Photoanodes for Solid-State Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells
in Advanced Energy Materials
Tiwana P
(2012)
The origin of an efficiency improving "light soaking" effect in SnO2 based solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells
in Energy & Environmental Science
Hardin B
(2012)
The renaissance of dye-sensitized solar cells
in Nature Photonics
Ball J
(2012)
A panchromatic anthracene-fused porphyrin sensitizer for dye-sensitized solar cells
in RSC Advances
Docampo P
(2012)
Pore Filling of Spiro-OMeTAD in Solid-State Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Determined Via Optical Reflectometry
in Advanced Functional Materials
Grancini G
(2012)
Boosting Infrared Light Harvesting by Molecular Functionalization of Metal Oxide/Polymer Interfaces in Efficient Hybrid Solar Cells
in Advanced Functional Materials
Planells M
(2013)
Diacetylene bridged triphenylamines as hole transport materials for solid state dye sensitized solar cells
in Journal of Materials Chemistry A
Sadoughi G
(2013)
Enhanced electronic contacts in SnO2-dye-P3HT based solid state dye sensitized solar cells.
in Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP
Agrawal Saurabh
(2013)
First principle approach to study role of ionic additives in the solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells
in ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
Passoni L
(2013)
Hyperbranched quasi-1D nanostructures for solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells.
in ACS nano
Grancini G
(2013)
Panchromatic "Dye-Doped" Polymer Solar Cells: From Femtosecond Energy Relays to Enhanced Photo-Response.
in The journal of physical chemistry letters
Leijtens T
(2013)
Overcoming ultraviolet light instability of sensitized TiO2 with meso-superstructured organometal tri-halide perovskite solar cells.
in Nature communications
Snaith H
(2013)
Perovskites: The Emergence of a New Era for Low-Cost, High-Efficiency Solar Cells
in The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters
Docampo P
(2013)
Efficient organometal trihalide perovskite planar-heterojunction solar cells on flexible polymer substrates.
in Nature communications
Hey A
(2013)
Large area hole transporter deposition in efficient solid-state dye-sensitized solar cell mini-modules
in Journal of Applied Physics
Weisspfennig C
(2013)
Optimizing the Energy Offset between Dye and Hole-Transporting Material in Solid-State Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells
in The Journal of Physical Chemistry C
Zhang W
(2013)
Enhancement of perovskite-based solar cells employing core-shell metal nanoparticles.
in Nano letters
Abate A
(2013)
Protic ionic liquids as p-dopant for organic hole transporting materials and their application in high efficiency hybrid solar cells.
in Journal of the American Chemical Society
Weisspfennig C
(2013)
Dependence of Dye Regeneration and Charge Collection on the Pore-Filling Fraction in Solid-State Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells
in Advanced Functional Materials
Leijtens T
(2013)
Charge density dependent mobility of organic hole-transporters and mesoporous TiO2 determined by transient mobility spectroscopy: implications to dye-sensitized and organic solar cells.
in Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
Wehrenfennig C
(2014)
Charge-carrier dynamics in vapour-deposited films of the organolead halide perovskite CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3-x Cl x
in Energy Environ. Sci.
Sivaram V
(2014)
Observation of Annealing-Induced Doping in TiO 2 Mesoporous Single Crystals for Use in Solid State Dye Sensitized Solar Cells
in The Journal of Physical Chemistry C
Eperon G
(2014)
Formamidinium lead trihalide: a broadly tunable perovskite for efficient planar heterojunction solar cells
in Energy & Environmental Science
Stranks S
(2014)
Recombination Kinetics in Organic-Inorganic Perovskites: Excitons, Free Charge, and Subgap States
in Physical Review Applied
D'Innocenzo V
(2014)
Excitons versus free charges in organo-lead tri-halide perovskites.
in Nature communications
Wehrenfennig C
(2014)
Homogeneous Emission Line Broadening in the Organo Lead Halide Perovskite CH3NH3PbI3-xClx.
in The journal of physical chemistry letters
Wang JT
(2014)
Low-temperature processed electron collection layers of graphene/TiO2 nanocomposites in thin film perovskite solar cells.
in Nano letters
Wehrenfennig C
(2014)
Charge carrier recombination channels in the low-temperature phase of organic-inorganic lead halide perovskite thin films
in APL Materials
Abate A
(2014)
An Organic "Donor-Free" Dye with Enhanced Open-Circuit Voltage in Solid-State Sensitized Solar Cells
in Advanced Energy Materials
Snaith HJ
(2014)
Anomalous Hysteresis in Perovskite Solar Cells.
in The journal of physical chemistry letters
Filip MR
(2014)
Steric engineering of metal-halide perovskites with tunable optical band gaps.
in Nature communications
Grancini G
(2014)
The Impact of the Crystallization Processes on the Structural and Optical Properties of Hybrid Perovskite Films for Photovoltaics.
in The journal of physical chemistry letters
Pathak S
(2014)
Towards Long-Term Photostability of Solid-State Dye Sensitized Solar Cells
in Advanced Energy Materials
Description | Discovered organic-inorganic metal halide perovskites could work exceptionally well in photovolatics. |
Exploitation Route | Triggered a massive research activity in perovskite solar cells worldwide. This is both at research institutions and industry. the direct outputs of this project have been transferred to Oxford PV and enabled them to rise to the forefront of PV development. Assuming successful delivery to a product, this technology has the potential to transform the PV industry, and subsequently the power industry. |
Sectors | Energy,Environment |
Description | Through the collaboration from this Japanese/UK award the original know how on processing perovskite materials was transferred from japan to UK. The potential transformative impact of perovskites was not realised by the Japanese collaborators, but through work in Oxford a stream of discoveries enabled the realisation of efficient perovskite solar cells which has lead to the growth of Oxford PV ltd to become a world force in emerging PV. |
First Year Of Impact | 2011 |
Sector | Chemicals,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Electronics,Energy,Environment,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology |
Impact Types | Societal,Economic |
Description | Oxford PV |
Organisation | Oxford Photovoltaics |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | We have made cells and materials and supplied them to Oxford PV for characterisation and/or further material deposition. |
Collaborator Contribution | Oxford PV have supplied some Silicon PV cells upon which to coat the perovskite cells for the all perovskite tandem cells. They have also deposited ITO conducting oxide upon our cells to complete our devices. In addition they have allowed access to other characterisation facilities including optical microscope and x-ray diffraction analysis. |
Impact | One of the main outcomes is that Oxford PV has raised in the region of £30M external investment, with the technology based on technology originally conceived in Oxford University. The company has benefited from continuing fundamental advancements of the technology, driven from our university lab. we are now working closely together on this project and will collaboratively deliver record efficiency solar cells. |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | Various Radio Interviews |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Radio Interviews for BBC world service and news reports |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017 |
URL | http://www.bbc.co.uk/search?q=henry+snaith |