Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSC) are third generation solar cells used as an alternative to traditional silicon solar cells. DSSCs are characterized by their durability, easy handling and ability to perform better under diverse lighting conditions which makes them an ideal choice for indoor applications. However, DSSCs suffer from several limitations including low efficiencies, susceptibility to electrolyte leakage under extreme weather conditions, and the need for expensive materials and fabrication techniques which limits their large-scale industrial applications. Addressing these limitations through efficient design and manufacturing techniques are critical in ensuring that the DSSCs transform from the current small-scale laboratory levels to sizeable industrial production. This research attempts to address some of these significant limitations by introducing the concepts of nature-inspired fractal-based design followed by the additive manufacturing process to fabricate cost-effective, flexible counter electrodes for DSSCs. The new conceptual fractal-based design counter electrodes overcome the limitations of conventional planar designs by significantly increasing the number of active reaction sites which enhances the catalytic activity thereby improving the performance. The fabrication of these innovative fractal designs is realized through cost-effective manufacturing techniques including additive manufacturing and selective electrochemical co-deposition processes. The results of the study suggest that the fractal-based counter electrodes perform better than conventional designs. Additionally, the fractal designs and additive manufacturing technology help in addressing the problems of electrolyte leakage, cost of fabrication, and scalability of DSSCs.

Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSC) are third generation solar cells used as an alternative to c-Si solar cells. DSSC are mostly flexible, easier to handle and are less susceptible to damage compared to c-Si solar cells. Additionally, DSSC is an excellent choice for indoor application as they perform better under diverse light condition. Most DSSCs are made of liquid medium sandwiched between two conductive polymer layers. However, DSSCs have significantly lower efficiencies compared to silicon solar cells. Also, use of liquid medium resulting in leaking of liquid, and occasional freezing during cold weather, and thermal expansion during hot weather conditions. DSSC can be manufactured in small quantities using relatively inexpensive solution-phase techniques such as roll-to-roll processing and screen printing technology. However, scaling-up the DSSC manufacturing from small-scale laboratory tests to sizeable industrial production requires better and efficient manufacturing processes. This research studies the feasibility of using additive manufacturing technique to fabricate electrodes of DSSC. The study aims to overcome the limitations of DSSCs including preventing leakage and providing more customized design. Experimental studies are performed to evaluate the effects of critical process parameters affecting the quality of electrodes for DSSC. Volume resistivity test is performed to evaluate the efficiency of the electrodes. In this study, the electrodes of DSSC are successfully fabricated using Fused Disposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printing technique. The results of this study would enable additive manufacturing technology towards rapid commercialization of DSSC technology.