Low-cost, quasi-solid-state and TCO-free highly bendable dye-sensitized cells on paper substrate

Abstract

A highly conductive Ni-coated commercial paper substrate (square resistance <1 Ω) was prepared by chemical deposition, and used as the substrate for a flexible TiO₂ film electrode derived from a binder-free TiO₂ paste, and heat treated at 250 °C. A low-cost, quasi-solid-state and TCO-free highly bendable paper-based dye-sensitized solar cell with conversion efficiency up to 2.90% is fabricated successfully by applying an iodine-free electrolyte. This encouraging result indicates that commercial paper is a promising material for use in dye-sensitized solar cells because of its flexibility, low cost and relatively high resistance to temperature. Compared with the rigid transparent conducting oxide (TCO) coated glass and flexible conductive plastic substrates, the potential of using mature paper making and coating technologies will greatly reduce the cost of the current photovoltaic devices.