Application of Metal-Organic Frameworks in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Authors

Ya-feng Li, Institute of Advanced Energy Materials, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350002, China;
Qing-qing Sun, Institute of Advanced Energy Materials, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350002, China;
Ming-deng Wei, Institute of Advanced Energy Materials, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350002, China;Follow

Corresponding Author

Ming-deng Wei(wei-mingdeng@fzu.edu.cn)

Abstract

To assemble dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) with high efficiencies, their photoanodes should have large specific surface area to establish a large adsorption amount of dyes and good light-harvesting ability. From this point of view, it will be an interesting topic to explore the application of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) in the field of DSSCs due to their huge specific surface area. This paper introduces the application of MOFs in photovoltaic devices briefly, and then summaries our approaches in using MOFs in the study of DSSCs, including the pre-treatment and the post-treatment of photoanode, the preparation of photoanode materials and the light scattering layer with MOFs as precursors. Characterization techniques such as Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Incident Photo-to-electron Conversion Efficiency (IPCE), Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and N₂ adsorption-desorption isotherms were used to investigate the roles of MOFs in such devices. The introduction of MOFs was found to increase the dye adsorption greatly and inhibit the charge recombination. The decomposition of MOFs led to the formation of hierarchical TiO₂ that could be used as photoanode materials directly, and it also lead to the fabrication of hierarchical ZnO with scattering ability. Finally, the limitation and prospect of MOFs in the area of DSSCs are briefly discussed.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords

dye-sensitized solar cells, metal-organic frameworks, photovoltaic devices

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.13208/j.electrochem.160142

Publication Date

2016-08-29

Online Available Date

2016-04-05

Revised Date

2016-03-18

Received Date

2016-02-18

Recommended Citation

Ya-feng Li, Qing-qing Sun, Ming-deng Wei. Application of Metal-Organic Frameworks in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells[J]. Journal of Electrochemistry, 2016 , 22(4): 332-339.
DOI: 10.13208/j.electrochem.160142
Available at: https://jelectrochem.xmu.edu.cn/journal/vol22/iss4/3

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