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High-Efficiency Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Based on TiO2 Nanotubes

Detailed Technology Description

UC San Diego researchers have developed new dye sensitized solar-cells, which are based on aligned TiO2 nanotubes that exhibit improved electron collection efficiency relative to earlier DSSCs. The invention’s architecture provides a direct and low-resistance conduit for electron capture while maintaining a very high surface area for covalently binding inorganic or organic sensitizers. With the invention, light can be effectively absorbed even in the near-IR region because the path-length of the TiO2 nanotube layer is significantly greater than the thickness of the mesoporous TiO2 layer of traditional DSSCs. The invention provides embodiments that do not require transparent conductive glass at either electrode, which leads to increased efficiency, simplified and compact design, and enhanced manufacturability.

Supplementary Information

Patent Number: US20120199189A1
Application Number: US13263745A
Inventor: Jin, Sungho | Tauber, Michael J. | Frandsen, Christine | Rustomji, Cyrus | Ryoo, Cheong-Kyun
Priority Date: 9 Apr 2009
Priority Number: US20120199189A1
Application Date: 9 Oct 2011
Publication Date: 9 Aug 2012
IPC Current: H01L00310216 | H01L003118 | B82Y004000
US Class: 136256 | 257E31119 | 438057 | 977734
Assignee Applicant: The Regents of the University of California
Title: THREE DIMENSIONAL DYE-SENSITIZED SOLAR CELLS WITH NANOSCALE ARCHITECTURES
Usefulness: THREE DIMENSIONAL DYE-SENSITIZED SOLAR CELLS WITH NANOSCALE ARCHITECTURES
Novelty: Dye-sensitized solar cell apparatus has dye-sensitized solar cell comprising cathode, electrolyte and anode comprising titania nanotubes arranged in three-dimensional structure, and photosensitive dye coated on anode

Industry

Environmental/Green Technology

Sub Category

Solar Cell

Application No.

9368289

Others

Tech ID/UC Case

19229/2009-164-0

Related Cases

2009-164-0

*Abstract

Photovoltaics have thus far been largely based on semiconductors, e.g., Si, CdTe, and cadmium indium selenide. Solar cells using these materials have increasingly been available commercially but still need improvement relative to stability, cost, and environmental concerns.

A leading alternative solar-cell technology relies on photoelectrochemistry and the absorption and excited-state properties of dye molecules bound to a TiO₂ substrate. Research on such dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) has targeted and achieved higher efficiency. The prevailing approach in fabricating DSSCs has been based on mesoporous random networks of TiO₂ nanocrystals. This approach however suffers from increases in resistance and recombination losses.

*IP Issue Date

Jun 14, 2016

*Principal Investigator

Name: Sungho Jin

Department:

Name: Cyrus Rustomji

Department:

Name: Cheong-Kyun Ryoo

Department:

Name: Michael Tauber

Department:

Name: Christine Frandsen

Department:

Country/Region

USA