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
Zhang Y
(2015)
Charge selective contacts, mobile ions and anomalous hysteresis in organic-inorganic perovskite solar cells
in Materials Horizons
Crossland EJ
(2009)
Block copolymer morphologies in dye-sensitized solar cells: probing the photovoltaic structure-function relation.
in Nano letters
Wang JT
(2014)
Low-temperature processed electron collection layers of graphene/TiO2 nanocomposites in thin film perovskite solar cells.
in Nano letters
Zhang W
(2013)
Enhancement of perovskite-based solar cells employing core-shell metal nanoparticles.
in Nano letters
Snaith HJ
(2010)
SnO2-based dye-sensitized hybrid solar cells exhibiting near unity absorbed photon-to-electron conversion efficiency.
in Nano letters
Gagliardi A
(2015)
The real TiO2/HTM interface of solid-state dye solar cells: role of trapped states from a multiscale modelling perspective.
in Nanoscale
Schuettfort T
(2010)
Synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of solution processable highly ordered polythiophene-carbon nanotube nanohybrid structures.
in Nanotechnology
D'Innocenzo V
(2014)
Excitons versus free charges in organo-lead tri-halide perovskites.
in Nature communications
Wright AD
(2016)
Electron-phonon coupling in hybrid lead halide perovskites.
in Nature communications
Leijtens T
(2013)
Overcoming ultraviolet light instability of sensitized TiO2 with meso-superstructured organometal tri-halide perovskite solar cells.
in Nature communications
DeQuilettes DW
(2016)
Photo-induced halide redistribution in organic-inorganic perovskite films.
in Nature communications
Docampo P
(2013)
Efficient organometal trihalide perovskite planar-heterojunction solar cells on flexible polymer substrates.
in Nature communications
Filip MR
(2014)
Steric engineering of metal-halide perovskites with tunable optical band gaps.
in Nature communications
Hardin B
(2012)
The renaissance of dye-sensitized solar cells
in Nature Photonics
Green M
(2014)
The emergence of perovskite solar cells
in Nature Photonics
Sadoughi G
(2013)
Enhanced electronic contacts in SnO2-dye-P3HT based solid state dye sensitized solar cells.
in Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP
Stranks S
(2014)
Recombination Kinetics in Organic-Inorganic Perovskites: Excitons, Free Charge, and Subgap States
in Physical Review Applied
Ball J
(2012)
A panchromatic anthracene-fused porphyrin sensitizer for dye-sensitized solar cells
in RSC Advances
Pazos-Outón LM
(2016)
Photon recycling in lead iodide perovskite solar cells.
in Science (New York, N.Y.)
Tvingstedt K
(2014)
Radiative efficiency of lead iodide based perovskite solar cells.
in Scientific reports
Foster J
(2014)
A Model for the Operation of Perovskite Based Hybrid Solar Cells: Formulation, Analysis, and Comparison to Experiment
in SIAM Journal on Applied Mathematics
Snaith H
(2011)
Lead-sulphide quantum-dot sensitization of tin oxide based hybrid solar cells
in Solar Energy
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
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
Brown M
(2011)
Surface Energy Relay Between Cosensitized Molecules in Solid-State Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells
in The Journal of Physical Chemistry C
Moia D
(2015)
The Role of Hole Transport between Dyes in Solid-State Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells
in The Journal of Physical Chemistry C
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
Volonakis G
(2016)
Lead-Free Halide Double Perovskites via Heterovalent Substitution of Noble Metals.
in The journal of physical chemistry letters
Filip MR
(2016)
Band Gaps of the Lead-Free Halide Double Perovskites Cs2BiAgCl6 and Cs2BiAgBr6 from Theory and Experiment.
in The journal of physical chemistry letters
Wehrenfennig C
(2014)
Homogeneous Emission Line Broadening in the Organo Lead Halide Perovskite CH3NH3PbI3-xClx.
in The journal of physical chemistry letters
Grancini G
(2013)
Panchromatic "Dye-Doped" Polymer Solar Cells: From Femtosecond Energy Relays to Enhanced Photo-Response.
in The journal of physical chemistry letters
Snaith H
(2013)
Perovskites: The Emergence of a New Era for Low-Cost, High-Efficiency Solar Cells
in The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters
Snaith HJ
(2014)
Anomalous Hysteresis in Perovskite Solar Cells.
in The journal of physical chemistry letters
Eperon GE
(2015)
Efficient, Semitransparent Neutral-Colored Solar Cells Based on Microstructured Formamidinium Lead Trihalide Perovskite.
in The journal of physical chemistry letters
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
Parrott E
(2016)
Effect of Structural Phase Transition on Charge-Carrier Lifetimes and Defects in CH 3 NH 3 SnI 3 Perovskite
in The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters
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 |