Preparation of the working electrode of dye-sensitized solar cells: Effects of screen printing parameters

The working electrode films of dye-sensitized solar cells are screen printed using a stainless steel cloth screen or a stencil screen. The as-prepared films and the corresponding cells are characterized and evaluated. The films prepared using the stainless steel cloth screen are thinner than those prepared using the stencil screen under the same screen printing conditions. Thus, while the stainless steel cloth screen is suitable for multi-layer film preparations, the stencil screen is ideal for mono-layer film preparations. Provided that the total working electrode film thickness is about the same, a three-layer working electrode prepared using the stainless steel cloth screen gives a cell with the conversion efficiency of 5.46% and a mono-layer working electrode prepared using the stencil screen gives a cell with the conversion efficiency of 5.30%. When using the stainless steel cloth screen for the working electrode preparation, a low squeegee angle and a low printing speed gives a porous thick film, which is ideal for dye absorption.