Plasmon amplified absorption in dye-sensitized solar cells

INOR 862

Stacey D. Standridge, s-standridge@northwestern.edu, George C. Schatz, schatz@chem.northwestern.edu, and Joseph T. Hupp, j-hupp@northwestern.edu. Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208
When plasmonic particles interact with light, a greatly increased electromagnetic field is produced in the vicinity of the particle. We utilize this property to increase the absorption cross-section of dye molecules in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Plasmonic silver nanoparticles were attached to conductive glass, coated with a thin conformal film of TiO2 by atomic layer deposition, and sensitized with a ruthenium dye. Intensity modulated photovoltage spectroscopy was employed to determine electron lifetime, τn, and steady state current density versus potential measurements were used to determine cell performance as characterized by the short-circuit current density, Jsc, and open-circuit voltage, Voc. Preliminary results show that solar cells with incorporated plasmonic nanoparticles have larger Jsc and Voc than the analogous cells without the nanoparticles.
 

Energy and Environmental Inorganic Chemistry
7:00 PM-10:00 PM, Tuesday, March 27, 2007 Hyatt Regency Chicago -- Riverside Center, Poster

Sci-Mix
8:00 PM-10:00 PM, Monday, March 26, 2007 Hyatt Regency Chicago -- Riverside Center, Sci-Mix

Division of Inorganic Chemistry

The 233rd ACS National Meeting, Chicago, IL, March 25-29, 2007