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Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) belong to the group of thin-film solar cells which have been under extensive research for more than two decades due to their low cost, simple preparation methodology, low toxicity and ease of production. Still, there is lot of scope for the replacement of current DSSC materials due to their high cost, less abundance, and long-term stability. The efficiency of existing DSSCs reaches up to 12%, using Ru(II) dyes by optimizing material and structural properties which is still less than the efficiency offered by first- and second-generation solar cells, i.e., other thin-film solar cells and Si-based solar cells which offer ~ 20–30% efficiency. This article provides an in-depth review on DSSC construction, operating principle, key problems (low efficiency, low scalability, and low stability), prospective efficient materials, and finally a brief insight to commercialization.

The Sun is source of abundant energy. We are getting large amount of energy from the Sun out of which only a small portion is utilized. Sunlight reaching to Earth’s surface has potential to fulfill all our ever increasing energy demands. Solar Photovoltaic technology deals with conversion of incident sunlight energy into electrical energy. Solar cells fabricated from Silicon aie the first generation solar cells. It was studied that more improvement is needed for large absorption of incident sunlight and increase in efficiency of solar cells. Thin film technology and amorphous Silicon solar cells were further developed to meet these conditions. In this review, we have studied a progressive advancement in Solar cell technology from first generation solar cells to Dye sensitized solar cells, Quantum dot solar cells and some recent technologies. This article also discuss about future trends of these different generation solar cell technologies and their scope to establish Solar cell technology.

Lightweight computing technologies such as the Internet of Things and flexible wearable systems have penetrated our everyday lives exponentially in recent years. Without a question, the running of such electronic devices is a major energy problem. Generally, these devices need power within the range of microwatts and operate mostly indoors. Thus, it is appropriate to have a self-sustainable power source, such as the photovoltaic (PV) cell, which can harvest indoor light. Among other PV cells, the dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) has immense capacity to satisfy the energy demands of most indoor electronics, making it a very attractive power candidates because of its many benefits such as readily available materials, relatively cheap manufacturing methods, roll-to-roll compatibility, easy processing capabilities on flexible substrates and exceptional diffuse/low-light performance. This review discusses the recent developments in DSSC materials for its indoor applications. Ultimately, the perspective on this topic is presented after summing up the current progress of the research. Graphic abstract

Water oxidation has long been a challenge in artificial photosynthetic devices that convert solar energy into fuels. Water-splitting dye-sensitized photoelectrochemical cells (WS-DSPECs) provide a modular approach for integrating light-harvesting molecules with water-oxidation catalysts on metal-oxide electrodes. Despite recent progress in improving the efficiency of these devices by introducing good molecular water-oxidation catalysts, WS-DSPECs have poor stability, owing to the oxidation of molecular components at very positive electrode potentials. Here we demonstrate that a solid-state dye-sensitized solar cell (ss-DSSC) can be used as a buried junction for stable photoelectrochemical water splitting. A thin protecting layer of TiO₂ grown by atomic layer deposition (ALD) stabilizes the operation of the photoanode in aqueous solution, although as a solar cell there is a performance loss due to increased series resistance after the coating. With an electrodeposited iridium oxide layer, a photocurrent density of 1.43 mA cm−2 was observed in 0.1 M pH 6.7 phosphate solution at 1.23 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode, with good stability over 1 h. We measured an incident photon-to-current efficiency of 22% at 540 nm and a Faradaic efficiency of 43% for oxygen evolution. While the potential profile of the catalyst layer suggested otherwise, we confirmed the formation of a buried junction in the asprepared photoelectrode. The buried junction design of ss-DSSs adds to our understanding of semiconductor–electrocatalyst junction behaviors in the presence of a poor semiconducting material.

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are under extensive research works due to their appealing features such as low production costs. The production costs and energy conversion efficiency of DSSCs is strongly influenced by the types of dyes used to harvest photons. Natural dyes extracted from different sources are emerged as a potential candidates to synthetic photosensitizers due to their merit properties including low cost, complete biodegradability, availability and less environmental concern. In order to improve the energy conversion efficiency of natural photosensitizers, blending of different dyes, co-pigmentation of dyes, acidifying of dyes and other approaches have been conducted by researchers, resulting in appreciable performance. This paper reviews the factors affecting the stability of anthocyanin pigments and also the solvents needed for efficient extraction of anthocyanins. Moreover, the potential application of anthocyanin dyes as photosensitizers for DSSC along with the work done over the years is covered.

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) convert light into electricity by using photosensitizers adsorbed on the surface of nanocrystalline mesoporous titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) films along with electrolytes or solid charge-transport materials 1 – 3 . They possess many features including transparency, multicolour and low-cost fabrication, and are being deployed in glass facades, skylights and greenhouses 4 . Recent development of sensitizers 5 – 10 , redox mediators 11 – 13 and device structures 14 has improved the performance of DSCs, particularly under ambient light conditions 14 – 17 . To further enhance their efficiency, it is pivotal to control the assembly of dye molecules on the surface of TiO 2 to favour charge generation. Here we report a route of pre-adsorbing a monolayer of a hydroxamic acid derivative on the surface of TiO 2 to improve the dye molecular packing and photovoltaic performance of two newly designed co-adsorbed sensitizers that harvest light quantitatively across the entire visible domain. The best performing cosensitized solar cells exhibited a power conversion efficiency of 15.2% (which has been independently confirmed) under a standard air mass of 1.5 global simulated sunlight, and showed long-term operational stability (500 h). Devices with a larger active area of 2.8 cm 2 exhibited a power conversion efficiency of 28.4% to 30.2% over a wide range of ambient light intensities, along with high stability. Our findings pave the way for facile access to high-performance DSCs and offer promising prospects for applications as power supplies and battery replacements for low-power electronic devices 18 – 20 that use ambient light as their energy source. Two newly designed co-adsorbed dye-sensitized solar cells that harvest light quantitatively across the entire visible domain are described, which offer promising applications as power supplies and battery replacements for low-power electronic devices.

A set of 3-ethynylaryl coumarin dyes with mono, bithiophenes and the fused variant, thieno [3,2-b] thiophene, as well as an alkylated benzotriazole unit were prepared and tested for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). For comparison purposes, the variation of the substitution pattern at the coumarin unit was analyzed with the natural product 6,7-dihydroxycoumarin (Esculetin) as well as 5,7-dihydroxycomarin in the case of the bithiophene dye. Crucial steps for extension of the conjugated system involved Sonogashira reaction yielding highly fluorescent molecules. Spectroscopic characterization showed that the extension of conjugation via the alkynyl bridge resulted in a strong red-shift of absorption and emission spectra (in solution) of approximately 73–79 nm and 52–89 nm, respectively, relative to 6,7-dimethoxy-4-methylcoumarin (λabs = 341 nm and λem = 410 nm). Theoretical density functional theory (DFT) calculations show that the Lowest Unoccupied Molecular Orbital (LUMO) is mostly centered in the cyanoacrylic anchor unit, corroborating the high intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) character of the electronic transition. Photovoltaic performance evaluation reveals that the thieno [3,2-b] thiophene unit present in dye 8 leads to the best sensitizer of the set, with a conversion efficiency (η = 2.00%), best VOC (367 mV) and second best Jsc (9.28 mA·cm−2), surpassed only by dye 9b (Jsc = 10.19 mA·cm−2). This high photocurrent value can be attributed to increased donor ability of the 5,7-dimethoxy unit when compared to the 6,7 equivalent (9b).

Dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are a feasible alternative to traditional silicon‐based solar cells because of their low cost, eco‐friendliness, flexibility, and acceptable device efficiency. In recent years, solid‐state DSSCs (ss‐DSSCs) have garnered much interest as they can overcome the leakage and evaporation issues of liquid electrolyte systems. However, the poor morphology of solid electrolytes and their interface with photoanodes can minimize the device performance. The photosensitizer/dye is a critical component of ss‐DSSCs and plays a vital role in the device‘s overall performance. In this review, we summarize recent developments and performance of photosensitizers, including mono‐ and co‐sensitization of ruthenium, porphyrin, and metal‐free organic dyes under 1 sun and ambient/artificial light conditions. We also discuss the various requirements that efficient photosensitizers should satisfy and provide an overview of their historical development over the years. Recent advances in different types of photosensitizers such as ruthenium, porphyrin, and organic sensitizers are reviewed. The design strategies to develop highly efficient sensitizers and their photovoltaic performance with co‐sensitization under 1‐sun and artificial light conditions are discussed.

TiO2 nanotubes (TNTs) are a potential candidate for the photoelectrode in dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). In this review, emphasis is given to the fabrication methods of the TNT photoelectrode, including the anodic oxidation method, the hydro/solvothermal method, and the template method. Modification of TNTs to improve the power conversion efficiency (PCE) and the long‐term stability of DSSCs is also covered. The active area of the DSSC strongly correlates with the PCE. Therefore, evaluating and comparing cell efficiencies with the same active area would be important. Reducing the material and manufacturing costs of TNT‐based DSSCs will be an important future target. TiO2 nanotubes (TNTs) are a potential candidate for the photoelectrode in dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). In this review, emphasis is given to the fabrication methods of the TNT photoelectrode, including the anodic oxidation method, the hydro/solvothermal method, and the template method. Modification of TNTs to improve the power conversion efficiency (PCE) and the long‐term stability of DSSCs is also covered. The active area of the DSSC strongly correlates with the PCE. Therefore, evaluating and comparing cell efficiencies with the same active area would be important. Reducing the material and manufacturing costs of TNT‐based DSSCs will be an important future target.

Temperature and humidity are the two vital outdoor factors that significantly affect the dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) efficiency. The complete performance of DSSCs depends on various aspects including electrolyte properties, dye adsorption over semiconductor, charge separation, etc. Both the temperature and humidity may influence DSSCs on these aspects to affect their performance. In this study, DSSCs were prepared and tested under various temperature and humidity conditions. It was observed that the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of DSSCs was significantly decreased by ~ 48% while the temperature was increased from 25 to 60 °C. Further, the PCE was dropped by ~ 67% when both the temperature and humidity were increased together from 25 to 60 °C and 75 to 100% respectively. High temperature and humid conditions may lead to dye desorption at semiconductor, electrolyte decomposition, and increase charge recombination. High temperature and high humidity exhibited a great impact on the JSC and VOC and hence they decreased the overall performance of the device. This work shall substantially contribute to the understanding of progress of DSSCs for their performance in real weather conditions for possible commercialization.