Sara Domenici1,Roberto Speranza1,2,Federico Bella1,2,Teresa Gatti1,Andrea Lamberti1,2
Politecnico di Torino1,Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia2
Sara Domenici1,Roberto Speranza1,2,Federico Bella1,2,Teresa Gatti1,Andrea Lamberti1,2
Politecnico di Torino1,Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia2
Indoor photovoltaics have gathered growing interest amongst researchers, as a mean to exploit the indoor lighting we use in our daily life to power small devices. Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) represent good candidates for such applications[1]. However, when it comes to indoor applications, there is an increased demand for non-toxic and non-flammable solvents for electrolytes. The implementation of water-based electrolytes is a promising way to address these issues, whilst also ensuring the eco-friendliness and sustainability of these devices[2]. In this work, aqueous gel electrolytes incorporating a iodide/triiodide redox couple were made with a bio-sourced polymer, xanthan gum[3]. DSSCs were assembled using screen-printed TiO<sub>2</sub> semiconducting layers treated with TiCl<sub>4</sub> and sensitized with an organic dye, D131. As counter electrode, Pt sputtered FTO was used. The performance of the cells was investigated under indoor light intensities between 500 and 1000 lux.<br/><br/>[1]: Jilakian, M., & Ghaddar, T. H. (2022). Eco-Friendly Aqueous Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell with a Copper (I/II) Electrolyte System: Efficient Performance under Ambient Light Conditions. <i>ACS Applied Energy Materials</i>, <i>5</i>(1), 257-265.<br/>[2]: Bella, F., Gerbaldi, C., Barolo, C., & Grätzel, M. (2015). Aqueous dye-sensitized solar cells. <i>Chemical Society Reviews</i>, <i>44</i>(11), 3431-3473.<br/>[3]: Galliano, S., Bella, F., Bonomo, M., Viscardi, G., Gerbaldi, C., Boschloo, G., & Barolo, C. (2020). Hydrogel electrolytes based on xanthan gum: green route towards stable dye-sensitized solar cells. Nanomaterials, <i>10</i>(8), 1585.