Influence of electrolyte refreshing on the photoelectrochemical performance of fiber-shaped dye-sensitized solar cells

Abstract

Given the convenient sealing of fiber-shaped dye-sensitized solar cells (FDSSCs), the electrolyte refreshing effect on the photo-electrochemical performance of FDSSCs was studied. The electron transport and interfacial recombination kinetics were also systematically investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. With increased electrolyte refreshing times from 0 to 10, the open-circuit voltage (Voc) and fill factor (FF) increased, whereas the photocurrent density (Jsc) and power conversion efficiency (PCE) significantly decreased. The increased Voc was mainly ascribed to the electron recombination resistance (Rct, WE) at the TiO2/electrolyte interface and electron lifetime. The decreased Jsc and PCE were due to dye desorption and the increase of series resistance. Further investigation proved that Li+ played a vital role in increasing Voc as electrolyte refreshing and Li+ had more significant impact than TBP (tert-butyl pyridine) on maintaining high Voc. Copyright © 2012 Zhibin Lv et al.