Porous electrode, dye-sensitized solar cell, and dye-sensitized solar cell module

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9607772-B2
Application number	US-201013318296-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 16, 2010
Priority date	Apr 30, 2009
Publication date	Mar 28, 2017
Grant date	Mar 28, 2017

Abstract

A porous electrode of the present invention is a porous electrode in which at least a first porous layer, an intermediate layer and a second porous layer are stacked on a substrate in this order, characterized in that the first porous layer and the second porous layer are formed of particles of the same material, and the first porous layer and the intermediate layer are formed of particles of different materials from each other. Preferably, the average particle diameter of the particles constituting the first porous layer differ in average particle diameter from the particles constituting the second porous layer.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A dye-sensitized solar cell, comprising:
a substrate;
a first conductive layer provided on said substrate;
a second conductive layer provided on said substrate and separated from said first conductive layer;
a first porous layer provided on said first conductive layer, said first porous layer having at least a sensitizing dye adsorbed thereon and containing a electrolyte therein;
a porous insulating layer provided on said first porous layer, on at least a side surface of said first porous layer and on a surface of said substrate between said first conductive layer and said second conductive layer, said porous insulating layer containing an electrolyte therein and comprising particles of a material different from a material of the first porous layer;
a second porous layer provided on said porous insulating layer, said second porous layer containing an electrolyte therein and comprising particles of the same material as the first porous layer;
a catalytic layer provided on said second porous layer; and
a third conductive layer provided on said catalytic layer and connected to said second conductive layer,
wherein the particles comprising said first porous layer have an average particle diameter of 5 nm to 50 nm,
the particles comprising said second porous layer have an average particle diameter of 100 nm to 500 nm,
said porous insulating layer is provided to electrically insulate said first porous layer from said catalytic layer, and
a plurality of pores are formed in said third conductive layer, and said pores in said third conductive layer have a size of 0.1 μm to 100 μm.

2. The dye-sensitized solar cell according to claim 1 ,
wherein a spacing between different pores in said third conductive layer is 1 μm to 300 μm.

3. The dye-sensitized solar cell according to claim 1 ,
wherein a thickness of said first porous layer is 0.1 μm to 100 μm.

4. The dye-sensitized solar cell according to claim 1 ,
wherein an average particle diameter of said particles comprising said porous insulating layer is smaller than an average particle diameter of said particles comprising said second porous layer.

5. The dye-sensitized solar cell according to claim 1 ,
wherein an average particle diameter of said particles comprising said porous insulating layer is 5 nm to 400 nm.

6. The dye-sensitized solar cell according to claim 1 ,
wherein an average particle diameter of said particles comprising said porous insulating layer is 10 nm to 100 nm.

7. The dye-sensitized solar cell according to claim 1 ,
wherein both the first porous layer and the second porous layer comprise titanium oxide having more than or equal to 80% anatase-type crystal structure.

8. The dye-sensitized solar cell according to claim 1 , wherein the particles constituting said second porous layer are larger in average particle diameter than the particles constituting said porous insulating layer.

9. The dye-sensitized solar cell according to claim 1 , wherein said particles constituting said first porous layer, said second porous layer and said porous insulating layer comprise metal oxide.

10. The dye-sensitized solar cell according to claim 1 , wherein
both of said first porous layer and said second porous layer comprise titanium oxide, and
said porous insulating layer comprises one or more metal oxides selected from the group consisting of zirconium oxide, silicon oxide and aluminum oxide, or a mixture containing one or more of said metal oxides.

11. The dye-sensitized solar cell according to claim 1 , wherein said third conductive layer comprises a metal material or a metal oxide material.

12. The dye-sensitized solar cell according to claim 11 , wherein said metal material comprises one or more materials selected from the group consisting of titanium, nickel and tantalum.

13. The dye-sensitized solar cell according to claim 11 , wherein said metal oxide material comprises one or more materials selected from the group consisting of indium tin composite oxide (ITO), tin oxide (SnO 2 ), fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO), zinc oxide (ZnO), and indium oxide.

Assignees

• Fukui Atsushi
• Yamanaka Ryohsuke
• Sharp Kk

Inventors

• Fukui Atsushi
• Yamanaka Ryohsuke

Classifications

• Y02E10/542

  Dye sensitized solar cells · CPC title

• H01G9/2031 Primary

  comprising titanium oxide, e.g. TiO2 (H01G9/2036 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01G9/2081

  Serial interconnection of cells · CPC title

• H01G9/2059

  comprising an organic dye as the active light absorbing material, e.g. adsorbed on an electrode or dissolved in solution · CPC title

• H01L51/0086

  Electricity · mapped topic