Enhanced electrical model for dye-sensitized solar cell characterization

• New enhanced model to investigate the performance of a dye-sensitized solar cell.
• Impact of DSSC parameters on efficiency of photovoltaic devices.
• Design guidelines for DSSC cell is suggested for various parameters.
• Larger secondary TiO2 spheres lead to higher solar cell performances.

The dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) have aroused in recent decades a growing interest from researchers in photovoltaic area, and those for their low cost and their performance very respectable (∼∼11.2%). The physical and chemical phenomena that take place inside DSSC cells are complex compared to the conventional one. They are related to disordered and tangled nature of materials that made the recipe of these DSSC, such as TiO2, electrolyte, and dye. In the present paper, we deliver a detailed theoretical model based on electrical considerations to study the impact of physical parameter of DSSC cell on the JJ–VV characteristic, performance and photovoltaic efficiency. The DSSC cell is modeled as a “pseudo-homogeneous effective medium” consisting of a TiO2 semi-conductor, dye absorber of light and electrolyte in order to study the transport and electrochemical phenomena. The model is resolved numerically using the Broyden–Fletcher–Goldfarb–Shanno (BFGS) approach and allow access to several physical parameters and their impact on the performance of the cell. The main target is to control theses parameters to get an optimized DSSC cell for a performing photovoltaic device.

Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide