This application claims priority to Korean Application No. 10-2016-0183921 filed on Dec. 30, 2016 and Korean Application No. 10-2017-0133494 filed on Oct. 13, 2017, which applications are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a dye-sensitized solar cell module. More particularly, the present invention relates to a dye-sensitized solar cell module capable of securing reliability by preventing occurrence of bubbles in an electrolyte solution, and a dye-sensitized solar cell including the same.
Contents described below merely provide background information related to the present invention and do not constitute the conventional art.
A dye-sensitized solar cell module has a structure in which an electrolyte solution is positioned between two glass substrates, i.e., a working electrode and a counter electrode. The working electrode substrate has a structure in which a porous oxide semiconductor including a dye adsorbed thereonto is deposited. When an electrolyte solution is not sufficiently filled between pores of porous oxide semiconductor (wherein a size of the pore is about 20 nm in diameter), bubbles occur in a unit cell electrolyte solution of a module 100 including a plurality of unit cells, and after an injection of the electrolyte solution is completed, a temperature in the module is increased when performing high-temperature compressing during a sealing process for sealing an electrolyte solution injection path with a sealant, and as a result, as shown in
The present invention has been made in an effort to provide a dye-sensitized solar cell module having advantages of securing reliability by preventing occurrence of bubbles in an electrolyte solution, and a dye-sensitized solar cell including the same.
An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a dye-sensitized solar cell module including: a plurality of unit cells including a working electrode, a counter electrode, and an electrolyte solution interposed between the working electrode and the counter electrode, wherein the number of bubbles included in the unit cell is 10 or less.
Another embodiment of the present invention provides a dye-sensitized solar cell module including: a plurality of unit cells including a working electrode, a counter electrode, and an electrolyte solution interposed between the working electrode and the counter electrode, wherein a volume of the unit cell is V1, a volume of the electrolyte solution interposed in the unit cell is V2, and V1 and V2 satisfy Equation 1 below:
1<V2/V1≤1.5. [Equation 1]
Another embodiment of the present invention provides a dye-sensitized solar cell module including: a plurality of unit cells including a working electrode, a counter electrode, and an electrolyte solution interposed between the working electrode and the counter electrode, wherein the counter electrode includes an electrolyte solution injection path, the unit cell further includes a cover glass covering the electrolyte solution injection path, the electrolyte solution remains within a range of two times a diameter of the electrolyte solution injection path, and the counter electrode and the cover glass are in contact with a sealant in a region other than a region where the electrolyte solution remains.
According to the present invention, it is possible to minimize a burst phenomenon of the dye-sensitized solar cell module caused by the bubbles by preventing occurrence of bubbles in an electrolyte solution of the dye-sensitized solar cell module, and to secure reliability by preventing separation of a dye adsorbed onto the porous oxide semiconductor.
In the following detailed description, only certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, simply by way of illustration. As those skilled in the art would realize, the described embodiments may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention.
In addition, unless explicitly described to the contrary, the word “comprise” and variations such as “comprises” or “comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusion of stated elements but not the exclusion of any other elements.
The dye-sensitized solar cell module 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a working electrode 110, a counter electrode 120, an Ag electrode 140 that connects the working electrode 110 to the counter electrode 120, and an electrolyte solution 130 filled in a space between the working electrode 110 and the counter electrode 120.
In detail, the working electrode 110 may be formed by depositing a oxide semiconductor 112 onto which a dye (not shown) is adsorbed on a substrate 111 coated with a conductive film.
The substrate 111 is a transparent soda lime glass, and may be a conductive substrate through which an electric current flows due to FTO coating on a surface, and serves as a moving path of electrons.
The oxide semiconductor 112 deposited on the substrate 111 is composed of a porous metal oxide, and transmits the electrons generated when the dye adsorbed onto the porous metal oxide receives light to the substrate 111 of the working electrode 110.
The counter electrode 120 is positioned opposite to the working electrode 110, and may be formed by forming a catalyst layer using platinum after TCO coating on a transparent soda lime glass. The counter electrode 120 serves to transmit electrons to the dye.
The Ag electrode 140 serves to electrically connect the working electrode and the counter electrode, and the Ag electrode may be formed by performing a screen printing process using an Ag paste on the working electrode 110 and the counter electrode 120.
The electrolyte solution 130 serves to allow the electrons generated in the dye to flow to an external conducting wire through the working electrode 110, and to reduce the dye of the working electrode through the counter electrode 120 again, and may be formed of an iodine material.
The dye-sensitized solar cell module 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include the plurality of unit cells, and the number of bubbles included in the unit cell may be 10 or less, preferably, 5 or less, and more preferably, the bubbles may be absent.
Accordingly, the dye-sensitized solar cell module 100 of the present invention may prevent separation of the dye from the inside of the module due to the bubbles and a burst phenomenon of the module.
A volume of the electrolyte solution interposed in the unit cell of the dye-sensitized solar cell module 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may be larger than a volume at which the electrolyte solution of the dye-sensitized solar cell is filled at room temperature at 1 atmospheric pressure. Specifically, since the electrolyte solution 130 is injected into the cell of the module 100 through the electrolyte solution injection path 121 by simultaneously applying two or more processes of forming a vacuum, adding pressure, or changing a temperature, the volume of the electrolyte solution 130 filled in the cell may be larger than the volume of the electrolyte solution filled in the cell of the dye-sensitized solar cell module 100 at room temperature at 1 atmospheric pressure.
Equation that specifically expresses the above description is as follows. When the volume of the unit cell of the module 100 designed at room temperature at 1 atmospheric pressure is V1 and the volume of the electrolyte solution interposed in the unit cell of the module 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is V2, V1 and V2 satisfy Equation 1 below:
1<V2/V1≤1.5. [Equation 1]
That is, since the dye-sensitized solar cell module 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is filled with the electrolyte solution by simultaneously applying two or more processes of forming a vacuum, adding pressure, or changing a temperature, an internal pressure exists in the cell. Accordingly, as shown in
The electrolyte solution 130 filled in the cell is filled at a density of 0.8 g/ml to 1.8 g/ml, and specifically has a density value of 1.2 g/ml.
When reviewing density values for each solvent type, an organic solvent electrolyte solution is filled at a density of 0.90 g/ml to 1.50 g/ml, an ionic liquid electrolyte solution is filled at a density of 1.15 g/ml to 1.75 g/ml, and a polymer organic solvent mixed electrolyte solution is filled at a density of 0.95 g/ml to 1.45 g/ml.
When the dye-sensitized solar cell module 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is stored in an oven at 85° C. for 2 hours, a size of the bubble occurring in the electrolyte solution 130 may be 5 mm or less, and the number of bubbles included in the unit cell may be 10 or less, specifically, the number of bubbles each having a size of 5 mm or less may be 5 or less, and more specifically, when the dye-sensitized solar cell module 100 is stored in an oven at 85° C. for 2 hours, the bubbles occurring in the electrolyte solution 130 of the unit cell may be absent.
Further, the dye-sensitized solar cell module according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may further include the electrolyte solution injection path 121 positioned at any part of the counter electrode 120, and a sealant 150 and a cover glass 160 for sealing the electrolyte solution injection path 121 in addition to the working electrode 110, the counter electrode 120, and the electrolyte solution 130.
The sealant 150 serves to adhere the counter electrode 120 having the electrolyte solution injection path 121 to the cover glass 160.
The cover glass 160 is a soda lime glass, and serves to seal the electrolyte solution injection path 121 so as to prevent leakage of the electrolyte solution.
Further, a small amount of the electrolyte solution 130 may remain between the counter electrode 120 and the sealant 150 since the electrolyte solution remaining at an inlet of the injection path 121 is not wiped when the filling is completed. At this time, the remaining electrolyte solution 130 remains within a range of two times a diameter of the electrolyte solution injection path 121, and the counter electrode 120 and the cover glass 160 are in direct contact with the sealant 150 in a region other than a region where the electrolyte solution 130 remains.
For example, the electrolyte solution 130 remains within 10 mm of a radius of the electrolyte solution injection path 121, and the sealant 150 and the cover glass 160 are positioned on the remaining electrolyte solution 130. When the diameter of the electrolyte solution injection path 121 is 0.1 mm to 1 mm, the electrolyte solution 130 may remain within the radius of 2 mm of the electrolyte solution injection path 121.
The dye-sensitized solar cell module of the present invention may minimize the burst phenomenon of the dye-sensitized solar cell module caused by the bubbles by preventing occurrence of the bubbles in the electrolyte solution, and may secure reliability by preventing separation of the dye adsorbed onto the oxide semiconductor.
Further, the present invention may manufacture a dye-sensitized solar cell including the solar cell module.
In order to evaluate the performance of the dye-sensitized solar cell module according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a comparison test of bubble occurrence was performed with a conventional dye-sensitized solar cell module.
The test was performed by measuring the number of bubbles and the size thereof occurring after storing the dye-sensitized solar cell module in an oven at 85° C. for 2 hours according to the density of the electrolyte solution. In order to obtain the reliability of the test, the test was repeated 10 times and an average value thereof was described.
Referring to Table 1, the lower the density of the electrolyte solution, the more bubbles occurred. In some of the experiments, when the density was less than 0.8 g/ml, the module could not withstand the test and the sealing of the module was burst during the test.
The present invention has been described above with reference to preferred exemplary embodiments thereof. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications, changes, and substitutions can be made without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention and the accompanying drawings are used not to limit but to describe the spirit of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is not limited only to the embodiments and the accompanying drawings. The protection scope of the present invention must be analyzed by the appended claims and it should be analyzed that all spirits within a scope equivalent thereto are included in the appended claims of the present invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10-2016-0183921 | Dec 2016 | KR | national |
10-2017-0133494 | Oct 2017 | KR | national |