Peking University develops new single-wire solar cell

Dye-sensitized solar cells are a new type of thin-film solar cell with low production cost and simple manufacturing process. They can be prepared using relatively simple electrochemical treatment. The dye-sensitized solar cell itself has a simple structure, consisting of an anode and a cathode immersed in an electrolyte. The anode of a dye-sensitized solar cell is usually composed of a dye compound and titanium dioxide. The former absorbs sunlight and generates free positive and negative charges; the latter acts as a conductor to allow the charges to flow to their respective electrodes, generating current.

Professor Cao Anyuan and his colleagues have significantly reduced the size of dye-sensitized solar cells by wrapping titanium wires around dye-coated titanium dioxide tubes. As the negative electrode, a layer of carbon nanotubes is also wrapped around the outside. Carbon nanotubes have strong conductivity and high transparency, which makes them ideal light-absorbing materials.

Dye-sensitized solar cells also have good photoelectric conversion efficiency, with a conversion efficiency of 1.6% per line. Although there is still a big gap from the standard conversion rate of dye-sensitized solar cells, the conversion rate can be greatly improved by improving the circuit design.

According to the researchers, the dye-sensitized solar cells can be used in textiles. The fiber-shaped solar cells are very flexible and can be easily used in clothes, backpacks and curtains.