Synthesis and solar-cell applications of new photoelectrode architectures

This paper will describe the design and fabrication of new high-area photoelectrode architectures for dye-sensitized solar cells. Examples will be presented of a materials-general synthetic approach (or nearly so) to metal-oxide semiconductors and transparent conducting oxides. The approach makes use of conformal, atomic layer deposition (ALD) and exploits templating strategies and new ALD precursor chemistry. The best versions of these new structures show areas equaling or exceeding those used in the best nanoparticulate electrodes, while exhibiting much faster charge transport - a key for successfully employing alternatives to idoide/triiodide as redox shuttle. The synthesis strategies also lend themselves to the construction of more complex photoelectrodes that reduce dark currents and that may also allow very rapid capture of photo-injected electrons by current collectors. Experimental measurements of dynamics and results from computational modeling of dynamics may also be presented.