Due to the rapid technological developments in the world, human activities in modern society are heavily dependent on the use of energy in different forms. Energy can be generated from various sources such as burning of fossil fuels, nuclear energy, hydro power, wind and solar. Among the renewable energy sources, solar cells are beneficial due to many factors. It is environmentally friendly and does not contribute to global warming and materials which are used for solar cells will not deplete within a few decades. In addition, the Sunlight is freely available all over the world throughout the year.
Dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) has three main components. It has two electrodes, acting as the anode and the cathode, and the electrolyte. The performance of DSSCs depends on the properties of the materials used in each component of the cell. Thus, the performance depends on the structure, morphology, optical and electrical properties of the nanoporous semiconductor film, the chemical, electrochemical, physical and photochemical properties of the dye, the electrochemical properties of the redox couple and the composition of the electrolyte and the electrochemical properties of the counter electrode (mostly Platinum (Pt)).
DSSCs are low cost solar cells due to the usage of low cost materials such as TiO2. Also, DSSCs are easy to manufacture. Therefore, efficiency per manufacturing cost is lower comparable with the conventional Silicon solar cells. The project will support to produce cleaner sustainable energy and also reduce the cost for renewable energy.