Integration of solid-state dye-sensitized solar cell with metal oxide charge storage material into photoelectrochemical capacitor

Theoretical analysis and characterization of the energy conversion and storage efficiency of photo-supercapacitors

“…The ECSE of a PSC is measured by performing a charge-discharge experiment: during the charging phase, the solar cell is exposed to light, which charges the initially empty supercapacitor. After a certain amount of time, the charging is stopped and the supercapacitor is discharged, either at constant current [12] or into a given load [13]. The ECSE is then defined as the ratio of electrical energy discharged from the super-capacitor over the light energy received by the solar cell during the charging period.…”

“…The duration of the charging phase and the incident light power influence the measured ECSE value of a PSC: as the supercapacitor is charging, its voltage increases, which modifies the output power of the solar cell over time [9,12]. For a given light power, each system thus displays a maximum ECSE value.…”

Potential active materials for photo-supercapacitor: A review

“…In 2011, another improvement leap occurred for a DSSC, with an improvement in its efficiency up to 11% or 12.3% for certain prototypes [10] relative to the 7.1% conversion rate of the first DSSC [6]. An improved efficiency DSSC composed of co-sensitizers of donorep-bridgeeacceptor zinc porphyrin dye (YD2-o-C8) and donorep-bridgeeacceptor (DepeA) with Co (II/III) tris(bipyridyl)e based redox electrolyte had an efficiency of 12.3% due to its light absorbing ability over the whole visible range, in addition to the presence of long alkoxy group chains, which retarded the electron recombination process [11].…”

“…An improved efficiency DSSC composed of co-sensitizers of donorep-bridgeeacceptor zinc porphyrin dye (YD2-o-C8) and donorep-bridgeeacceptor (DepeA) with Co (II/III) tris(bipyridyl)e based redox electrolyte had an efficiency of 12.3% due to its light absorbing ability over the whole visible range, in addition to the presence of long alkoxy group chains, which retarded the electron recombination process [11]. The most common DSSC prototype was composed of ruthenium (Ru)-based dye adhering to anatase (TiO 2 ) films with iodide/triiodide (I À /I 3 À ) couple liquid, semi-liquid, or redox conducting electrolytes [10]. Its high conversion efficiency could be attributed to the large surface active area of porous titania film, which increases the amount of dye adsorption [12].…”

Combining Energy Conversion and Storage: A Solar Powered Supercapacitor

“…In another study, a DSSC was combined with an electrochemical capacitor of hydrous ruthenium oxide electrodes and excellent performance characteristics were shown [25]. However, to the best of our knowledge, to date, an amalgamation of a quantum dot solar cell (QDSC) and a carbon based supercapacitor has hardly been reported.…”