Rehydrating dye sensitized solar cells

Christian Hellert; Christian Klemt; Uta Scheidt; Irén Juhász Junger; Eva Schwenzfeier-Hellkamp; Andrea Ehrmann; Christian Hellert; Christian Klemt; Uta Scheidt; Irén Juhász Junger; Eva Schwenzfeier-Hellkamp; Andrea Ehrmann

doi:10.3934/energy.2017.3.397

AIMS Energy

2017, Volume 5, Issue 3: 397-403. doi: 10.3934/energy.2017.3.397

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Research article Topical Sections

Rehydrating dye sensitized solar cells

Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Engineering and Mathematics, ITES, Bielefeld, Germany

Received: 04 April 2017 Accepted: 03 May 2017 Published: 08 May 2017

Dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are silicon free, simply producible solar cells. Longevity, however, is a longstanding problem for DSSCs. Due to liquid electrolytes being commonly used, evaporation of the electrolyte causes a dramatic drop in electric output as cells continue to be used unmaintained. Stopping evaporation has been tried in different ways in the past, albeit with differing degrees of success. In a recent project, a different route was chosen, exploring ways of revitalizing DSSCs after varying periods of usage. For this, we focused on rehydration of the cells using distilled water as well as the electrolyte contained in the cells. The results show a significant influence of these rehydration procedures on the solar cell efficiency. In possible applications of DSSCs in tents etc., morning dew may thus be used for rehydration of solar cells. Refillable DSSCs can also be used in tropical climates or specific types of farms and greenhouses where high humidity serves the purpose of rehydrating DSSCs.
- DSSC,
- dye sensitized solar cell,
- electrolyte,
- rehydration,
- self-refilling
Citation: Christian Hellert, Christian Klemt, Uta Scheidt, Irén Juhász Junger, Eva Schwenzfeier-Hellkamp, Andrea Ehrmann. Rehydrating dye sensitized solar cells[J]. AIMS Energy, 2017, 5(3): 397-403. doi: 10.3934/energy.2017.3.397

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Abstract

Dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are silicon free, simply producible solar cells. Longevity, however, is a longstanding problem for DSSCs. Due to liquid electrolytes being commonly used, evaporation of the electrolyte causes a dramatic drop in electric output as cells continue to be used unmaintained. Stopping evaporation has been tried in different ways in the past, albeit with differing degrees of success. In a recent project, a different route was chosen, exploring ways of revitalizing DSSCs after varying periods of usage. For this, we focused on rehydration of the cells using distilled water as well as the electrolyte contained in the cells. The results show a significant influence of these rehydration procedures on the solar cell efficiency. In possible applications of DSSCs in tents etc., morning dew may thus be used for rehydration of solar cells. Refillable DSSCs can also be used in tropical climates or specific types of farms and greenhouses where high humidity serves the purpose of rehydrating DSSCs.

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