• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.33 no.12
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• pp.4093-4097
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• 2012

We introduced a new UV-cured resin polymer gel as an electrolyte for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) that is cured with UV irradiation to form a thin film of UV-cured resin polymer gel in the cells. The gel film was characterized and its potential for use as an electrolyte in DSSCs was investigated. This new UV-cured resin polymer gel was successfully applied as a gel polymer electrolyte in DSSCs overcoming the problems associated with the liquid electrolytes in typical DSSCs. The effect of ${\gamma}$-butylrolactone (GBL) on the long-term stability and photovoltaic performance in DSSCs using this UV-cured resin polymer gel electrolyte was also investigated. The results of the energy conversion efficiency, ionic conductivity and Raman spectra of the UV-cured resin polymer gel electrolyte with the addition of 6 wt % GBL to the UV-cured resin polymer electrolyte showed good long-term stability and photovoltaic performance for the DSSCs with the UV-cured polymer gel electrolyte.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2015.08a
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• pp.243.1-243.1
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• 2015

To replace the based on silicon solar cells, the third generation solar cells, Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), is low fabrication than silicon solar cells, environmentally friendly and can be applied to various field. For this reason, the DSSCs have been continuously researched. But DSSCs have one drawback that is the low power conversion efficiency (PCE) than silicon solar cells. To solve the problem, we used the backr-eflector the Al foil that can be easily obtained from the surrounding in order to improve the efficiency of the DSSCs. Easily detachable Al foil back-reflector increases the photocurrent by enhancing the harvesting light because the discarded light is reused. It also leads to enhance the power conversion efficiency (PCE). In addition, we compared with the efficiency of the DSSCs that is applied and does not be applied with back-reflector according to the thickness of the TiO2 photoelectrode. When the back-reflector is applied to DSSCs, the photocurrent is increased. It leads to affect the efficiency. We used to solar simulator and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) to confirm the PCE and resistance. The DSSCs were also measured by External Quantum effect (EQE). At the same time, FE-SEM and XRD were used to confirm the thickness of layer and crystal structural of photoelectrode.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2016.02a
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• pp.400.2-400.2
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• 2016

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have been widely investigated as a next generation solar cell because of their simple structure and low manufacturing cost. To realize a commercially competitive technology of DSSCs, it is imperative to employ a technique to prepare nanocrystlline thin film on the flexible organic substrate, aiming at increasing the flexibility and reducing the weight as well as the overall device thickness of DSSCs. The key operation of glass-to-plastic substrates conversion is to prepare mesoporous TiO2 thin film at low temperature with a high surface area for dye adsorption and a high degree of crystallinity for fast transport of electrons. However, the electron transport in the TiO2 film synthesized at low temperature is very poor. So, in this study, TiO2 films synthesized at high temperature were transferred on the selective substrate. We fabricated DSSCs at low temperature using this method. So, we confirmed that the performance of DSSCs using TiO2 films synthesized at high temperature was improved.

• Current Photovoltaic Research
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.79-83
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• 2014

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are applied in the emerging fields of building integrated photovoltaic and electronics integrated photovoltaic like small portable power sources as demands are increased with characteristic advantages. Highly flexible dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) prepared on single stainless steel mesh were proposed in this paper. Single mesh DSSCs structure utilizing the spraying the chopped glass paper on the surface treated stainless steel mesh for integrating the space element and the electrode components, counter electrode component and photoelectrode component were coated on each side of the single mesh. The fabricated single mesh DSSCs showed the energy-conversion efficiency 0.50% which show highly bendable ability. The new single mesh DSSCs may have potential applications as highly bendable solar cells to overcome the limitations of TCO-based DSSCs.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.60 no.1
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• pp.114-118
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• 2011

Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells(DSSCs) consist of a titanium dioxide($TiO_2$) nano film of the photo electrode, dye molecules on the surface of the $TiO_2$ film, an electrolyte layer and a counter electrode. But two transparent conductive oxide(TCO) substrates are estimated to be about 60[%] of the total cost of the DSSCs. Currently novel TCO-less structures have been investigated in order to reduce the cost. In this study, we suggested a TCO-less DSSCs which has titanium double layer electrodes. Titanium double layer electrodes are formed by electron-beam evaporation method. Analytical instruments such as electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope were used to evaluate the TCO-less DSSCs. As a result, the proposed structure decreases energy conversion efficiency and short-circuit current density compared with the conventional DSSCs structure with FTO glass, while internal series impedance of TCO-less DSSCs using titanium double layer electrodes decreases by 27[%]. Consequently, the fill factor is improved by 28[%] more than that of the conventional structure.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.80-87
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• 2019

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have attracted great attention as sustainable energy devices. The efficiency and long-term stability of DSSCs are greatly influenced by electrode materials and electrolytes. In this review, we focused on the electrolytes of DSSCs. Polymer electrolyte membranes have been proposed as an alternative to conventional liquid electrolytes in DSSCs. Conventional liquid electrolytes can exhibit a high efficiency, but due to some problems such as poor long-term stability of device and leakage of liquid, much interest in polymer electrolyte membranes continues to rise and the papers on polymer electrolytes membranes have been extensively reported recently. This review covers the concept and development of polymer electrolyte membranes for DSSCs, and discusses the efficiency and electrochemical properties of DSSCs, highlighting the modification of polymer matrix, the introduction of additives such as organic-inorganic plasticizers and ionic liquids.

• Current Photovoltaic Research
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.18-27
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• 2014

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), developed two decades ago, are considered to be an attractive technology among various photovoltaic devices because of their low cost, accessible dye chemistry, ease of fabrication, high power conversion efficiency, and environmentally friendly nature. A typical DSSCs consists of a dye-coated $TiO_2$ photoanode, a redox electrolyte, and a platinum (Pt)-coated fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) counter electrode. Among them, redox electrolytes have proven to be extremely important in improving the performance of DSSCs. Due to many drawbacks of iodide electrolytes, many research groups have paid more attention to seeking other alternative electrolyte systems. With regard to this, one-electron outer sphere redox shuttles based on cobalt complexes have shown promising results: In 2014, porphyrin dye (SM315) with the cobalt (II/III) redox couple exhibited a power conversion efficiency of 13% in DSSCs. In this review, we will provide an overview and perspectives of cobalt redox electrolytes in DSSCs.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2011.10a
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• pp.11.2-11.2
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• 2011

A key technological issue related to the implementation of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) is the replacement of Pt at the counter electrodes with an inexpensive and electro-chemically stable alternative. Carbon based nanomaterials could be promising candidates, but in practice they exhibit inadequate device performance. Here, we report very thin graphene oxide (GO)/metal hybrid films as transparent counter electrodes for high-efficiency DSSCs. Transparent GO/Pt and GO/Au hybrid films showed cell efficiencies of 9.2 and 9.0%, respectively (improvements of 9.5 and 7.1% over conventional Pt counter electrodes). More interestingly, highly stable DSSCs with GO hybrid films from relatively inexpensive metals such as Cu and Ni have been demonstrated with efficiency values comparable to Pt counter electrodes. The results reported in this study should enable low-cost fabrication of DSSCs because it allows the use of relatively inexpensive metals such as Au, Cu, Ni, and Ag that could not be previously employed in DSSCs with iodide/tri-iodide electrolyte due to corrosion.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.180-184
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• 2015

Stainless steel (SS) mesh was used to fabricate photoelectrode for flexible dye-seisitzed solar cells (DSSCs) in order to evaluate them as replacements for more expensive transparent conductive oxide(TCO). We fabricated the DSSCs with new type of photoelectrode, which consisted of flexible SS mesh coated with 100 nm thickness titanium (Ti) protective layer deposited using electron-beam deposition system. SS mesh DSSCs with protective layer showed higher efficiency than those without a protective layer. The best cell property in the present study showed the open circuit voltage (Voc) of 0.608 V, short-circuit current density (Jsc) of $5.73mA\;cm^{-2}$, fill factor (FF) of 65.13%, and efficiency (${\eta}$) of 2.44%. Compared with SS mesh based on DSSCs (1.66%), solar conversion of SS mesh based on DSSCs with protective layer improved about 47%.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2014.02a
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• pp.453.1-453.1
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• 2014

Fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO), which is commonly used in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), is a promising material of transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) because of advantages such as high chemical stability, high resistance, high optical transparency (>80% at 550nm), and low electrical resistivity (${\sim}10-4{\Omega}{\cdot}cm$). Especially, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have been actively studied since Gratzel's research group required FTO substrate as a charge collector. When FTO substrates are used in DSSCs, photo-injected electrons may experience recombination at interface between dye-bonded semiconductor oxides ($TiO_2$) on FTO substrate and the electrolyte. To solve these problems, one is that because recombination at FTO substrate cannot be neglected, thin $TiO_2$ layer on FTO substrate as a blocking layer was introduced. The other is to control the morphology of surface on FTO substrate to reduce a loss of electrons. The structural, electrical, and optical characteristics of morphology controlled-FTO thin films as TCO materials were analyzed by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Hall Effect Measurement, and UV spectrophotometer. The performance of DSSCs fabricated with morphology controlled FTO substrates was performed using Power Conversion Efficiency (PCE). We will discuss these results in detail in Conference.