Abstract:

Photovoltaic cells using molecular dyes, semiconductor quantum dots or perovskite pigments as light harvesters have emerged as credible contenders to conventional devices. Dye sensitized solar cells (DSCs) use a three-dimensional nanostructured junction for photovoltaic electricity production and currently reach a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 15.2 % in full sunlight and over 30 % in ambient light. They possess unique practical advantages in terms of particularly high effective electricity production from ambient light, ease of manufacturing, flexibility and transparency, bifacial light harvesting, and aesthetic appeal, which have fostered large scale industrial production and commercial applications. They served as a launch pad for perovskite solar cells (PSCs) which are presently being intensively investigated as one of the most promising future PV technologies, the PCE of solution processed laboratory cells having currently reached 25.7%. Present research focusses on their scale up to as well as ascertaining their long-term operational stability.  This lecture will cover the most recent findings in these revolutionary photovoltaic domains.

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