Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-8ctnn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T02:31:14.285Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Addressing Bottlenecks in Dye-sensitized Solar Cell Manufacture Using Rapid Near-infrared Heat Treatments

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2012

Trystan Watson
Affiliation:
SPECIFIC, College of Engineering, Swansea University, Baglan Bay Innovation and Knowledge Centre, Baglan, Port Talbot, UK, SA12 7AX.
Cecile Charbonneau
Affiliation:
SPECIFIC, College of Engineering, Swansea University, Baglan Bay Innovation and Knowledge Centre, Baglan, Port Talbot, UK, SA12 7AX.
Matthew Carnie
Affiliation:
SPECIFIC, College of Engineering, Swansea University, Baglan Bay Innovation and Knowledge Centre, Baglan, Port Talbot, UK, SA12 7AX.
Ian Mabbett
Affiliation:
SPECIFIC, College of Engineering, Swansea University, Baglan Bay Innovation and Knowledge Centre, Baglan, Port Talbot, UK, SA12 7AX.
Martyn Cherrington
Affiliation:
SPECIFIC, College of Engineering, Swansea University, Baglan Bay Innovation and Knowledge Centre, Baglan, Port Talbot, UK, SA12 7AX.
Get access

Abstract

A primary challenge to the industrial uptake of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSC) is the ability to improve manufacturing efficiency. New thinking is required in terms of lowering cost, improving the process steps and increasing throughput. The typical manufacture of a DSC contains a number of long process steps; the sintering and dyeing of the TiO2 are prime examples. The current solution is to batch process on rigid substrates or use long energy intensive convection ovens for flexible metal substrates. Here we present a method for reducing some of the bottlenecks in the manufacturing process using near infra red radiation to speed up the thermal treatment of TiO2 and silver inks reducing their processing times to 12 and 2 seconds from normal process times of 30 and 10 minutes respectively.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1. O’Regan, B. and Grätzel, M., Nature 353, 737740 (1991).Google Scholar
2. Barbé, C.J., Arendse, F., Comte, P., Jirousek, M., Lenzmann, F., Shklover, V., and Grätzel, M., Journal of the American Ceramic Society 80, 31573171 (2005).Google Scholar
3. Nazeeruddin, M.K., Kay, A., Humpbry, R., Miiller, E., Liska, P., Vlachopoulos, N., and Gratzel, M., Journal of the American Chemical Society 63826390 (1993).Google Scholar
4. Gratzel, M., Nature 414, (2001).Google Scholar
5. Kalyanasundaram, K., Ito, S., Yanagida, S., and Uchida, S., in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells, edited by Kalyanasundaram, K. (EPFL Press, Lausanne, 2010), pp. 267321.Google Scholar
6. Holliman, P.J., Davies, M.L., Connell, A., Vaca Velasco, B., and Watson, T.M., Chemical Communications 46, 7256–8 (2010).Google Scholar
7. Nazeeruddin, M.K., Splivallo, R., Liska, P., Comte, P., and Gratzel, M., Chemical Communications 12, 1456 (2003).Google Scholar
8. Kim, H., Auyeung, R.C.Y., Ollinger, M., Kushto, G.P., Kafafi, Z.H., and Piqué, A., Applied Physics A 83, 7376 (2005).Google Scholar
9. Uchida, S., Tomiha, M., Masaki, N., Miyazawa, A., and Takizawa, H., Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells 81, 135139 (2004).Google Scholar
10. Hagfeldt, A., Lindstr, H., Magnusson, E., Holmberg, A., and Lindquist, S.-eric, Solar Energy Materials 73, 91101 (2002).Google Scholar
11. Knischka, R., Lehmann, U., Stadler, U., Mamak, M., and Benkhoff, J., Progress in Organic Coatings 64, 171174 (2009).Google Scholar