Cobalt-Based Electrolytes for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells: Recent Advances towards Stable Devices

Federico Bella, Simone Galliano, Claudio Gerbaldi and Guido Viscardi
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Federico Bella: GAME Lab, CHENERGY Group, Department of Applied Science and Technology—DISAT, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino, Italy
Simone Galliano: Department of Chemistry and NIS Interdepartmental Centre, Università degli Studi di Torino, Via Pietro Giuria 7, 10125 Torino, Italy
Claudio Gerbaldi: GAME Lab, CHENERGY Group, Department of Applied Science and Technology—DISAT, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino, Italy
Guido Viscardi: Department of Chemistry and NIS Interdepartmental Centre, Università degli Studi di Torino, Via Pietro Giuria 7, 10125 Torino, Italy

Energies, 2016, vol. 9, issue 5, 1-22

Abstract: Redox mediators based on cobalt complexes allowed dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) to achieve efficiencies exceeding 14%, thus challenging the emerging class of perovskite solar cells. Unfortunately, cobalt-based electrolytes demonstrate much lower long-term stability trends if compared to the traditional iodide/triiodide redox couple. In view of the large-scale commercialization of cobalt-based DSCs, the scientific community has recently proposed various approaches and materials to increase the stability of these devices, which comprise gelling agents, crosslinked polymeric matrices and mixtures of solvents (including water). This review summarizes the most significant advances recently focused towards this direction, also suggesting some intriguing way to fabricate third-generation cobalt-based photoelectrochemical devices stable over time.

Keywords: dye-sensitized solar cell; cobalt electrolyte; cobalt complex; stability; polymer electrolyte; quasi-solid electrolyte (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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