Chapter 16
p-Type Dye Sensitized Solar Cells:
An Overview of Factors Limiting
Efficiency
Sasanka Peiris, R. J. K. U. Ranatunga and Ishanie Rangeeka Perera
Abstract The energy crisis is a global problem that drives investment on renewable energy sources worldwide. Utilization of solar energy has become an effective
strategy for sustainable energy generation, as it has the potential to fill the energy
gap created due to the depletion of fossil fuel. On the ever-extending ladder of solar
harvesting technologies, third generation dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) have the
advantages of better cost effectiveness and environmental footprint when compared to
the first-generation silicon solar cells and second-generation thin film photovoltaics.
The ultimate goal of constructing high-efficiency multi-junction devices has set the
target of improving single junction components of DSCs (n- and p-type), separately.
The pace of development of single junction p-DSCs has been much slower than
that of n-DSCs. Discovery of suitable materials and techniques have lifted the performance of n-DSCs to more than 14% since it was first reported in 1991. On the
other hand, p-DSCs have a maximum efficiency of 2.51%. It is important to bridge
the gap between the efficiencies of these single junction configurations, in order to
adopt the concept of multi-junction/tandem-DSCs that have the potential to reach
higher efficiencies by harvesting a larger fraction of the solar spectrum. This chapter
focuses on reviewing literature on development of p-DSCs. First, as an introduction,
the structure, function and kinetics of p-DSCs are described. Next, the two main
factors that affect the overall performance of a p-DSC; light harvesting capacity, and
energy loss within the device, are comprehensively discussed.
Keywords p-type · Solar energy · Dye-sensitized solar cells
S. Peiris
Sri Lanka Institute of Nanotechnology, Homagama 10200, Sri Lanka
R. J. K. U. Ranatunga · I. R. Perera (B)
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya 20400,
Sri Lanka
e-mail: ishanieperera@pdn.ac.lk
Postgraduate Institute of Chemistry, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya 20400, Sri Lanka
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
H. Tyagi et al. (eds.), Solar Energy, Energy, Environment,
and Sustainability, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-0675-8_16
315
p-Type Dye Sensitized Solar Cells:
An Overview of Factors Limiting
Efficiency
Sasanka Peiris, R. J. K. U. Ranatunga and Ishanie Rangeeka Perera
Abstract The energy crisis is a global problem that drives investment on renewable energy sources worldwide. Utilization of solar energy has become an effective
strategy for sustainable energy generation, as it has the potential to fill the energy
gap created due to the depletion of fossil fuel. On the ever-extending ladder of solar
harvesting technologies, third generation dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) have the
advantages of better cost effectiveness and environmental footprint when compared to
the first-generation silicon solar cells and second-generation thin film photovoltaics.
The ultimate goal of constructing high-efficiency multi-junction devices has set the
target of improving single junction components of DSCs (n- and p-type), separately.
The pace of development of single junction p-DSCs has been much slower than
that of n-DSCs. Discovery of suitable materials and techniques have lifted the performance of n-DSCs to more than 14% since it was first reported in 1991. On the
other hand, p-DSCs have a maximum efficiency of 2.51%. It is important to bridge
the gap between the efficiencies of these single junction configurations, in order to
adopt the concept of multi-junction/tandem-DSCs that have the potential to reach
higher efficiencies by harvesting a larger fraction of the solar spectrum. This chapter
focuses on reviewing literature on development of p-DSCs. First, as an introduction,
the structure, function and kinetics of p-DSCs are described. Next, the two main
factors that affect the overall performance of a p-DSC; light harvesting capacity, and
energy loss within the device, are comprehensively discussed.
Keywords p-type · Solar energy · Dye-sensitized solar cells
S. Peiris
Sri Lanka Institute of Nanotechnology, Homagama 10200, Sri Lanka
R. J. K. U. Ranatunga · I. R. Perera (B)
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya 20400,
Sri Lanka
e-mail: ishanieperera@pdn.ac.lk
Postgraduate Institute of Chemistry, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya 20400, Sri Lanka
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
H. Tyagi et al. (eds.), Solar Energy, Energy, Environment,
and Sustainability, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-0675-8_16
315