Nanoparticles Influence on Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Based on TiO2

Abstract

A review. Today, Solar cell technol. is in limited use due to the relatively high manufg. cost of silicon based technol., And the low power efficiency of org. polymer based technol. However, Research is being done on hybrid cells based on dye-sensitizing org. polymers and a thin transparent conducting oxide layer comprised of nanoparticles. These cells could offer the same ease of manufg. as org. cells, with improved efficiency. Currently, although the improved efficiency is promising, It is still far below silicon based solar cells. The nanotubes clearly show longer response times, Which correlate to longer electron lifetimes, Which means less recombination of electron-hole pairs. This will ultimately translate to higher energy out put. This paper will explore the role of nanomaterials in this flexible solar cell technol. A discussion on current efforts to improve efficiency will follow. [on SciFinder(R)]