• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2010.11a
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• pp.60.2-60.2
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• 2010

A $TiO_2$ films in dye-sensitized solar cells was fabricated using $TiO_2$ colloidal sol prepared from titanium iso-propoxide used as a starting material by applying the sol-gel method. It was characterized by particle size analyzer, XRD, FE-SEM, and BET analysis. The adsorption isotherms of dye molecule on $TiO_2$ films were obtained at three different temperatures (30, 45, $60^{\circ}C$) and at three different pH (3, 5, 7). The adsorption kinetics of dye molecule on $TiO_2$ films were obtained at three different temperatures (30, 45, $60^{\circ}C$. The adsorption experimental data were correlated with Langmuir isotherm model and pseudo-second-order model. Also the isosteric enthalpies of dye adsorption were calculated by the Clausius-Clapeyron equation. In addition, the adsorption energy distribution functions which describe heterogeneous characteristics of nanocrystalline $TiO_2$ film surface were calculated by using the generalized nonlinear regularization method. We found that efficient adsorption of N719 dye from aqueous solution onto $TiO_2$ films can be successfully achieved by dye adsorption conditions and morphology of $TiO_2$ films.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2010.05a
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• pp.12.1-12.1
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• 2010

We have developed a facile method to position different dyes (N719 and N749) sequentially in a mesoporous TiO2 layer through selective desorption and adsorption processes. Only upper part of the first adsorbed N719 dye was selectively removed by the desorption solution formulated with polypropylene glycol and tetrabutylammonium hydroxide without any damages of the dye. The desorption depth was controlled by the number of desorption process. Multi-dyed dye-sensitized solar cells (MDSSC) were fabricated by utilizing the method and their photovoltaic properties were investigated. From the incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE) measurement, it was found that the MDSSC exhibited the extended spectral response for the solar spectrum while without decrease of maximum IPCE value compare to the DSSCs using one kind of dye (N719 or N749). The highest photocurrent density of 19.3 mA/cm2 was obtained from the MDSSC utilizing $15\;{\mu}m$ N719 / $14\;{\mu}m$ N749 bi-layered mesoporous TiO2 film. The photocurrent density was 25% and 8% higher than that of the DSSC using only N719 and N749 dye as a sensitizer, respectively. The power conversion efficiency of 9.8% was achieved from the MDSSC under the AM 1.5G one sun illumination.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.279-282
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• 2011

Dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC); an alternate energy source harvester has gained some attractive features such as high-energy conversion efficiency low production cost. Dye-sensitizer is a basic component of DSSC, which affecting the performance of the energy conversion efficiency. Current research has been focusing on development of high efficiency, metal-free dye-sensitizers, which would be more environmental friendly. We had successfully explored synthetic route to 6,6'-(1,2,5-oxadiazole-3,4-diyl)dipyridine-2,4-dicarboxylic acid (3A) which has been used as organic sensitizer. Investigation of light conversion efficiency (${\eta}$) of the compound uses standard measurement condition (one sun simulated irradiation, AM 1.5, 100 mW/$cm^2$) showed that it could reach 1.00% ($J_{SC}=2.63\;mAcm^{-2}$, $V_{OC}$=0.64 V and FF=0.59). Under the same conditions, the ruthenium complex (N719) gave the conversion efficiency as high as 4.02%($J_{SC}=10.50\;mAcm^{-2}$, $V_{OC}$=0.67V and FF=0.57).

• Journal of the Semiconductor & Display Technology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.65-71
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• 2011

Properties of each layer in DSSC were investigated to improve solar cell characterstics. Also in this study, low costsolar simulator system is fabricated and used. Efficiency of DSSC is better in the case of thinner semiconductive layer, because thick semiconductive layer is acted as resistor. Sc-doped ZnO thin films showed better electrical property by proper donor doping effect. Among the dyes, DSSC containing N719 showed higher efficiency, because N719 have smaller electron affinity and shallow band gap.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.252-256
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• 2013

We introduced sensitizing dyes into the bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) photovoltaic (PV) layer of polymer solar cells (PSCs). The sensitizing dyes doped were Bis(tetra butyl ammonium) cis-dithio cyanato bis(2,2'-bipyridine-4-carboxylicacid-4'-carboxylate) ruthenium (II) (N719 dye) and the BHJ PV layer used was made of poly (3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and phenyl $C_{61}$-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM). It was found that the N719 dyes increase the photovoltaic performance, i.e., increasing open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current density with improved fill factor. For the P3HT:PCBM PV cells doped with the N719 dyes (0.24 wt%), an increase in power conversion efficiency of 4.0% was achieved, compared to that of the control cells (3.6%) without the N719 dyes.

• Proceedings of the KAIS Fall Conference
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• 2011.05b
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• pp.836-839
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• 2011

염료감응형 태양전지의 상대전극으로 MWCNT(multi-walled carbon nanotube)의 농도 (0.01~0.06g)를 달리하여 FTO(fluorine-doped tin oxide) glass에 분산시켜 상대전극을 만들었다. 그리고 glass/FTO/$TiO_2$/Dye(N719)/electrolyte(C6DMII,GSCN)/MWCNT/FTO/glass 구조를 가진 0.45$cm^2$급 DSSC(dye-sensitized solar cells) 소자를 만들었다. 소자의 미세구조, 분산정도, 광특성은 각각 광학현미경, SEM, source measure unit (Keithley model 2400) 장비를 이용하여 확인하였다. MWCNT 농도 증가와 FTO의 거친 표면형상에 따라 비선형적으로 MWCNT 분산면적이 증가하였고, MWCNT 농도 0.06g일 때 FTO 표면에 전체적으로 MWCNT가 완전히 분산됨을 확인하였다. 소자의 광변환 효율은 MWCNT 분산면적에 비례하는 효율을 보였고, MWCNT 분산농도인 0.06g 일 때 4.49%의 광변환 효율을 얻을 수 있었다.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2010.06a
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• pp.241-241
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• 2010

Recently high and persistent spontaneous buildup of a surface potential (SP) upon vacuum deposition of tris (8-hydroxyquinolinato) aluminum (III) ($Alq_3$), which is widely used for organic light emitting devices. The removal of the giant surface potential by visible light irradiation has also been reported. In this study, we coated $Alq_3$ on the FTO substrate and raise the capacity for absorbing sun light. The $Alq_3$ which is green light emitting diode emits light at wavelengths between 500 and 550nm. If we apply one's FTO/$Alq_3$ substrate in one's DSSC, we could get higher energy conversion efficiency because the N719 dye that we used for fabricating the DSSC emits light just at near 540nm. The energy conversion efficiency of approximately 4.8 % at the condition of irradiation of AM 1.5 (100 mW/$cm^2$) simulated sunlight, and the $J_{sc}$ is 12.0 mA/$cm^2$, $V_{oc}$ is 0.71 V, FF is 0.56, respectively.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2010.06a
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• pp.89.1-89.1
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• 2010

Since Gratzel and co-workers developed a new type of solar cell based on the nanocrystalline $TiO_2$ electrode, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have attracted considerable attention on account of their high solar energy-to-conversion efficiencies (11%), their easy manufacturing process with low cost production compared to conventional p-n junction solar cells. The mechanism of DSSC is based on the injection of electrons from the photoexcited dye into the conduction band of nanocrystalline $TiO_2$. The oxidized dye is reduced by the hole injection process from either the hole counter or electrolyte. Thus, the electronic structures, such as HOMO, LUMO, and HOMO-LUMO gap, of dye molecule in DSSC are deeply related to the electron transfer by photoexcitation and redox potential. To date, high performance and good stability of DSSC based on Ru-dyes as a photosensitizer had been widely addressed in the literatures. DSSC with Ru-bipyridyl complexes (N3 and N719), and the black ruthenium dye have achieved power conversion efficiencies up to 11.2% and 10.4%, respectively. However, the Ru-dyes are facing the problem of manufacturing costs and environmental issues. In order to obtain even cheaper photosensitizers for DSSC, metal-free organic photosensitizers are strongly desired. Metal-free organic dyes offer superior molar extinction coefficients, low cost, and a diversity of molecular structures, compared to conventional Ru-dyes. Recently, novel photosensitizers such as coumarin, merocyanine, cyanine, indoline, hemicyanine, triphenylamine, dialkylaniline, bis(dimethylfluorenyl)-aminophenyl, phenothiazine, tetrahydroquinoline, and carbazole based dyes have achieved solar-to-electrical power conversion efficiencies up to 5-9%. On the other hand, organic dye molecules have large ${\pi}$-conjugated planner structures which would bring out strong molecular stacking in their solid-state and poor solubility in their media. It was well known that the molecular stacking of organic dyes could reduce the electron transfer pathway in opto-electronic devices, significantly. In this paper, we have studied on synthesis and characterization of dendritic organic dyes with different number of electron acceptor/anchoring moieties in the end of dendrimer. The photovoltaic performances and the incident photon-to-current (IPCE) of these dyes were measured to evaluate the effects of the dendritic strucuture on the open-circuit voltage and the short-circuit current.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.4013-4018
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• 2014

A 0.45 $cm^2$ DSSC device with a glass/FTO/blocking layer/$TiO_2$/N719(dye)/electrolyte/50 nm-Pt/50 nm-Au/FTO/glass was prepared to examine the stability of the Au/Pt bilayered counter electrode (CE) with electrolyte and the energy conversion efficiency (ECE) of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). For comparison, a 100 nm-thick Pt only CE DSSC was also prepared using the same method. The photovoltaic properties, such as the short circuit current density ($J_{sc}$), open circuit voltage ($V_{oc}$), fill factor (FF), and ECE, were checked using a solar simulator and potentiostat with time after assembling the DSSC. The microstructure of the Au/Pt bilayer was examined by optical microscopy after 0~25 minutes. The ECE of the Pt only CE-employed DSSC was 4.60 %, which did not show time dependence. On the other hand, for the Au/Pt CE DSSC, the ECEs after 0, 5 and 15 minutes were 5.28 %, 3.64 % and 2.09 %, respectively. The corrosion areas of the Au/Pt CE determined by optical microscopy after 0, 5, and 25 minutes were 0, 21.92 and 34.06 %. These results confirmed that the ECE and catalytic activity of Au/Pt CE decreased drastically with time. Therefore, a Au/Pt CE-employed DSSC may be superior to the Pt only CE-employed one immediately after integration of the device, but it would degrade drastically with time.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.20 no.9
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• pp.483-487
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• 2010

To fabricate $TiO_2$ nanoparticle-based dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) at a low-temperature, DSSCs were fabricated using hydropolymer and ZnO nanoparticles composites for the electron transport layer around a low-temperature ($200^{\circ}C$). ZnO nanoparticle with 20 nm and 60 nm diameter were used and Pt was deposited as a counter electrode on ITO/glass using an RF magnetron sputtering. We investigate the effect of ZnO nanoparticle concentration in hydropolymer and ZnO nanoparticle solution on the photoconversion performance of the low temperature fabricated ($200^{\circ}C$) DSSCs. Using cis-bis(isothiocyanato)bis(2,20 bipyridy1-4,40 dicarboxylato) ruthenium (II) bis-tetrabutylammonium (N719) dye as a sensitizer, the corresponding device performance and photo-physical characteristics are investigated through conventional physical characterization techniques. The effect of thickness of the ZnO photoelectrode and the morphology of the ZnO nanoparticles with the variations of hydropolymer to ZnO ratio on the photoconversion performance are also investigated. The morphology of the ZnO layer after sintering was examined using a field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM). 60 nm ZnO nanoparticle DSSCs showed an incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE) value of about 7% higher than that of 20 nm ZnO nanoparticle DSSCs. The maximum parameters of the short circuit current density ($J_{sc}$), the open circuit potential ($V_{oc}$), fill factor (ff), and efficiency ($\eta$) in the 60 nm ZnO nanoparticle-based DSSC devices were 4.93 mA/$cm^2$, 0.56V, 0.40, and 1.12%, respectively.