Technological Description of DSSC's

A schematic depiction of the components and operating mechanism of a typical PV dye cell can be seen at http://www.beltfurnaces.com/dssc.html. The photoanode (facing the light source) is a glass plate whose inner surface has been coated with a thin layer (0.5 micron) of transparent conducting tin oxide (TCO). Onto this layer is coated (e.g. by sintering, other low temperature methods are available such as Electrophoresis) a several micron thick porous layer of nanocrystalline titanium dioxide (particle size about 20 nanometers) on which a monolayer of sensitizer dye is absorbed (ruthenium complex). The cell also comprises electrolyte containing a redox species based on iodide/tri-iodide, and a counter electrode (cathode) consisting of a glass plate also with a conducting tin oxide layer, coated with a few mono-layers of catalyst (platinum was originally used and can be replaced with carbon-based alternatives). In our approach the carbon layer can be applied directly on the Titania. This eliminates the need for a second sheet of FTO glass in the cell.

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