Efficiency enhancement in solid state dye sensitized solar cells byincluding inverse opals with controlled layer thicknesses
Résumé
The photoconversion efficiency of dye sensitized solar cells can be enhanced by the incorporation of light management nano-structures such as photonic crystals. Here, we present a facile route to incorporate titania inverse opals into solid state dye sensitizedsolar cells and report photoconversion efficiency enhancements of up to 56% compared with a model system without the inverseopal. Our approach is based on the precise design of titania inverse opals with a predetermined thickness that can be controlled atthe individual layer level. By choosing an inverse opal exhibiting a photonic bandgap which overlaps the absorption bands of thedye, our results show that there is an optimal thickness of the inverse opal structure for maximum efficiency enhancement of thecell. This is the first experimental proof that the thickness of a titania inverse opal plays a pivotal role in cell efficiency enhancementin solid state dye sensitized solar cells.