Research Area

Development and Optimization of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) has attracted a considerable interest since its discovery. Among various types of solar cells, DSSC combine both the promise of high efficiency and low fabrication cost. Additionally, they can be fabricated over flexible substrate and can offer transparency and workability to be integrated into buildings as smart window, of which those could not be accommodated by the first two generations of photovoltaic technology, that is, the silicon and thin-film based solar cells. Our research goal is to develop methods to fabricate high efficiency DSSCs using industrial-friendly process that supports further up-scaling and commercialization.

Fabrication of Dye-Sensitized Solar Modules

Two of the main challenges that the DSSC technology will have to overcome towards commercialization involve device scaling-up and long-term stability. In our group, the fabrication technology of DSSC has been developed from laboratory to module scale over the past few years. The application of DSSC in large area for many electronics applications necessitates the study of an internally connected DSC module. An effective design configuration and precise fabrication technique are the major issues in manufacturing such device. DSSC modules also often exhibit poor stability, particularly as indicated by the significant decrease in the short circuit current (ISC). One of our main goals is to improve the long-term DSSC performance in relation to their scale-up from cell to module.