title: Pore filling of nanostructured electrodes in dye sensitized solar cells by initiated chemical vapor deposition.
abstract: The dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) operation depends on a liquid electrolyte. To achieve better performance, the liquid should be replaced with a solid or gel electrolyte, e.g., polymers. Here, we demonstrate initiated chemical vapor deposition as an effective liquid-free means for in situ polymerization and pore filling. We achieve complete pore filling of 12 μm thick titania resulting in enhanced cell performance that is attributed to reduced charge recombination at the electrolyte-electrode interface.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Siamak
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nejati
authors.forename: Kenneth K S
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Lau
mesh_terms: D003460:Crystallization / Q000379:methods; D011211:Electric Power Supplies; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005740:Gases / Q000737:chemistry*; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D010316:Particle Size; D016062:Porosity; D012993:Solar Energy
chemical_list: D005740:Gases