• 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.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.213-221
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• 2011

Using poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) as a polymer host, poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) as a plasticizer, potassium iodide and iodine as sources of $I^-/I_3^-$, polymer electrolyte membranes were prepared. Based on the polymer electrolytes, solid-state dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC)s were fabricated. The content of PEG in the electrolyte was controlled to be 95%. The mole number of KI per 1 mole of EO ([KI]/[EO] ratio) in the electrolyte was changed to be 0.022, 0.044, 0.066 and 0.088. The electrolyte membrane showed wax phase in ambient temperature. The ionic conductivity increased with increasing KI content to reach the maximum value at which [KI]/[EO] ratio is 0.066. After the maximum value, the ionic conductivity decreased with increasing KI content. In the case of DSSC, the Voc decreased continuously with increasing KI content in the polymeric electrolyte membrane. The $J_{SC}$ increased with increasing KI content to show maximum value at which [KI]/[EO] ratio is 0.044. In the higher KI content region, $J_{SC}$ value decreased with increasing KI content.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.93-98
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• 2017

This experiment investigated characteristic changes in a $Cu_2ZnSnS_4$(CZTS) solar cell by applying a $Zn(O_x,S_{1-x})$ butter layer with various compositions on the upper side of the absorber layer. Among the four single layers such as $Zn(O_{0.76},S_{0.24})$, $Zn(O_{0.56},S_{0.44})$, $Zn(O_{0.33},S_{0.67})$, and $Zn(O_{0.17},S_{0.83})$, the $Zn(O_{0.76},S_{0.24})$ buffer layer was applied to the device due to its bandgap structure for suppressing electron-hole recombination. In the application of the $Zn(O_{0.76},S_{0.24})$ buffer layer to the device, the buffer layer in the device showed the composition of $Zn(O_{0.7},S_{0.3})$ because S diffused into the buffer layer from the absorber layer. The $Zn(O_{0.7},S_{0.3})$ buffer layer, having a lower energy level ($E_V$) than a CdS buffer layer, improved the $J_{SC}$ and $V_{OC}$ characteristics of the CZTS solar cell because the $Zn(O_{0.7},S_{0.3})$ buffer layer effectively suppressed electron-hole recombination. A substitution of the CdS buffer layer by the $Zn(O_{0.7},S_{0.3})$ buffer layer improved the efficiency of the CZTS solar cell from 2.75% to 4.86%.