Aerosol OT/Water System Coupled with Triiodide/Iodide (I-3(-)/I-) Redox Electrolytes for Highly Efficient Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Abstract

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) are considered to be a promising alternative to Si-based photovoltaic cells. The electrolyte of the DSC primarily uses triiodide/iodide (I-3(-)/I-) as a redox couple. Therefore, it is essential to understand the regeneration and recombination kinetics of the I-3(-)/I- redox couples in the device. In this context, controlling the total and local concentrations of the I-3(-)/I- redox couples is an important parameter that can influence the DSC performance. Here, we propose that the introduction of a sodium bis (2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT)/water system to the I-3(-)/I- electrolyte enables the control of the concentration of the redox couples, which consequently achieves a high power conversion efficiency of similar to 11% for similar to 1000 h (under 1 sun illumination) owing to the enhanced dye-regeneration efficiency and the reduced recombination rate. This novel concept assists in the comprehension of the regeneration and recombination kinetics and develops highly efficient DSCs.