Project: SIntering of Nanoparticles onto organic flExible lAyers for Dye solar cells

Hybrid/Organic based Solar cells are a rapidly emerging technology with great potential for sustainable energy generation at the condition of overcoming certain challenges like improving the conversion efficiency and reliability and developing large area production processes especially on flexible substrates, a main driver to reduce costs. Different solar cells structures are available for reaching these objectives. One of the possible and most promising path to success lies in the hybrid Dye Solar Cell (DSC) device whose main active components sandwiched between two conducting electrodes consist of a nanocrystalline TiO2 layer, an absorbing dye molecule anchored to the TiO2 an electrolyte and a catalytic counter electrode. The devices that will be investigated in this project are DSCs for which we will develop an efficient laser based process that will enable the fabrication of photovoltaic devices, namely the active layer of TiO2, on flexible substrates (including transparent plastic films) whilst maintaining those high power conversion efficiency levels typically found in glass based DSCs. DSCs are a very promising technology that can reach more than 10% efficiency. In our laboratories, very good results on glass substrates with 9% conversion efficiency have already been demonstrated. When the glass substrate is replaced by a PET (Polyethylene) flexible layer, the fabrication processes become significantly more complex. For instance, the 450ºC - 500ºC temperature required for the sintering of the TiO2 particles onto the polymer layer is no longer possible. Preliminary tests with a UV laser have shown that the sintering of the particles onto a polymer layer is feasible with this technology and record efficiencies have been published for laser-sintered devices on glass by one of the partners. The aim of the project SINEAD is to study the capabilities of laser processing and develop efficient and industrial fabrication processes for these flexible devices. In order to achieve this goal the project relies on the expertise and the availability of several laser sources present among the partners. The fibre lasers that will be available from the very beginning of the project can operate in the near IR (1064nm and 1550nm) and in the visible and UV by wavelength conversion. The pulse duration ranges from CW to femtosecond. The access to these different systems will permit a complete study of the influence of the laser parameters onto the processing in order to define the best set of operation conditions. The processed devices will be tested for efficiency and reliability. The final objective of the project is to obtain a process that allows rapid fabrication of flexible devices (either on metallic foils or polymer substrates) with 5-7% efficiency on foils and 4-6% for polymer substrates and 5 years lifetime.

Acronym	SINEAD (Reference Number: ESM-1938)
Project Topic	Engineering structural materials
Network	MATERA+
Call	Matera+ Call

Project partner

Number	Name	Role	Country
1	LASEA	Coordinator	Belgium
2	MULTITEL asbl	Partner	Belgium
3	University of Rome - Tor Vergata	Partner	Italy
4	DYESOL	Partner	Italy