Dye Solar Cell Assembly Glass handling Titania deposition Sintering process Sensitizer impregnation Platinum deposition Sealing electrodes Electrolyte filling Completing the cell

Materials

Glass handling Transparent conducting oxide glass (TCO glass) should not be touched with bare fingers. If fingerprints or other contamination are present, clean with ethanol and dry with a hair-dryer.

Glass handling

ZNO solution deposition Stir well the ZNO pastes before use, not shake unless bubbles could be formed. The thickness of the adhesive tape will determine the thickness of the titanium dioxide deposited on the glass. We use "Scotch Magic" tape from 3M, having a thickness of ~50 µm. This tape can be easily removed from the glass without leaving traces of adhesive materials.

Sintering process The sintering process allows the ZNO nanocrystals to "melt" partially together, in order to ensure electrical contact and mechanical adhesion on the glass. Heat electrode to ca. 450 °C for about half an hour.

Platinum deposition The platinum catalyst is obtained by using the Pt-Catalyst T/SP product which can either be squeegee printed or screen-printed using a polyester mesh of 90. Dry at 100 °C for 10 min prior firing at 400 °C for 30 min. Pt-Catalyst T/SP

Cleaning electrodes Working electrode (ZNO impregnated with Ruthenium 535 sensitizer): Rinse with absolute ethanol and dry with hair-dryer. Note: Never use water or water based cleaning solutions! Counter-electrode (TCO glass with platinum catalyst): Rinse either with distilled water or use ethanol and dry with hair-dryer.

Sealing electrodes Assemble cell as soon as the electrodes have been prepared. Long storage of electrodes is detrimental. If the cell is filled with Iodolyte TG-50, then Amosil 4 is appropriate as a sealing material.Iodolyte TG-50 If the cell is filled with Iodolyte AN-50 or Iodolyte PN-50, then the hot-melt sheets SX (25 micron thickness) or SX (60 micron thickness) should be used as sealing frame.Iodolyte AN-50Iodolyte PN-50SX SX

Electrolyte filling In cells having a sealing rim with two small holes, the filling is done by putting a droplet onto only one hole, and let it soak up. Replenish droplet from time to time to avoid dry-out and bubble formation. For long shaped cells, this process can take about 10 minutes and maybe some small bubbles are still left (these are not critical to cell operation).

Completing the cell Wipe off excess electrolyte from filling ports. Clean carefully the area around the filling holes with acetone (usually electrolytes are more soluble in acetone than in alcohol), so that no traces are anymore visible. The reflection of a light source shows pretty well if the glass is clean or not.

Testing Prior testing, it is recommended to put silver paint onto the contacts to ensure optimal electrical connections and to minimize serial resistance losses, especially when testing large cells. The typical output voltage of a dye solar cell should be in the range of 0.6 to 0.7 V in full light (1000 W/m 2 ).The short-circuit current density should be between 8 and 12 mA/cm 2 for a 8-10 mm thick fully impregnated electrode, and the current should remain constant under illumination.