title: Rapid double-dye-layer coating for dye-sensitized solar cells using a new method.
abstract: Intensive research with the specific aim of developing inexpensive renewable energy sources is currently being undertaken. In dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) production, the most time-consuming process is coating the dye on working electrodes: absorption of ruthenium-based dyes [e.g., N719=bis(trtrabutylammonium)-cis-di(thiocyanato)-N,N'-bis(4-carboxylato-4'-carboxylic acid-2,2'-bipyridine) ruthenium(II)] on a photoanode takes a long time. We report a simple dye-coating method using a mixed solvent of ethylene glycol (EG) and glycerol (Gly). According to our experiments, dye-coating time can be reduced to 5 min from several hours. Maximum performance was obtained with an EG/Gly ratio of 1:1. This mixture of solvents gave a performance of 9.1%. Furthermore, the viscous solvent system could control coating depth; positioning dye coatings to a specific depth was rapid and facile. A cell containing two different dyes (N719+black dye) had an efficiency of 9.4%.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, UNIST, Banyeon, Eonyang, Ulju, Ulsan, 689-798 (Korea).
authors.forename: Cho-long
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Chi-Hwan
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Doo Kyung
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.forename: Yongseok
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jun
mesh_terms: D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000737:chemistry*; D011211:Electric Power Supplies; D055664:Electrochemical Techniques; D004566:Electrodes; D012993:Solar Energy; D012997:Solvents / Q000737:chemistry; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D014025:Titanium / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents; D012997:Solvents; C009495:titanium dioxide; D014025:Titanium
keywords: adsorption; dyes/pigments; ethylene glycol; nanostructures; solar cells