This Non-provisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) on Patent Application No(s). 100148801 filed in Taiwan, Republic of China on Dec. 27, 2011, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a solar cell and, in particular, to a dye sensitized solar cell.
2. Related Art
Solar energy will not cause environmental pollution, and can be easily acquired and never exhausted, becoming an important resource of alternative energy. The solar cell utilizing solar energy is a kind of photoelectric converting device, which can receive solar light and converts solar energy to electric energy.
The solar cell has many types, such as silicon-based solar cell, compound semiconductor solar cell, organic solar cell, or dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC). As to the DSSC, it includes two conducting substrates attached to each other. One of the conducting substrate has titanium dioxide (TiO2) thereon, which absorbs the dye and thus becomes a dye layer, and the other one has a catalytic layer, such as platinum (Pt). However, since the conventional DSSC is composed of two substrates, the size and the thickness of the product is increased, causing disadvantage to compactness.
Therefore, it is an important subject to provide a dye sensitized solar cell that has a new structure to advantage the compactness of the product for improving the product's competitiveness.
In view of the foregoing subject, an objective of the invention is to provide a dye sensitized solar cell that has a new structure to advantage the product's compactness as well as competitiveness.
To achieve the above objective, a dye sensitized solar cell of the invention comprises a transparent conducting substrate, a dye layer, an electricity-collecting electrode, an insulating adhesive, and a metal foil. The transparent conducting substrate has a transparent substrate and a transparent conducting layer that is disposed on the transparent substrate. The dye layer is disposed on the transparent conducting layer. The electricity-collecting electrode is disposed on the transparent conducting layer and around the dye layer. The insulating adhesive is disposed around the dye layer and on the electricity-collecting electrode. The metal foil is disposed on the dye layer and the insulating adhesive.
In one embodiment, the transparent conducting layer is a continuous transparent conducting layer or includes a plurality of unconnected transparent conducting portions.
In one embodiment, the transparent conducting layer includes a plurality of unconnected transparent conducting portions, and the dye layer includes a plurality of unconnected dye portions that are respectively disposed on the transparent conducting portions.
In one embodiment, the dye layer includes a plurality of unconnected dye portions, each of which is a regular polygon or a rectangle.
In one embodiment, the electricity-collecting electrode includes at least one frame portion.
In one embodiment, a side of the frame portion has a conducting connection portion.
In one embodiment, the conducting connection portions are disposed at a side or opposite sides of the transparent conducting substrate.
In one embodiment, the metal foil is a continuous metal foil or includes a plurality of unconnected metal portions.
In one embodiment, the material of the metal foil includes titanium, nickel, or stainless steel.
In one embodiment, the dye sensitized solar cell further comprises a package adhesive that is disposed on the metal foil.
In one embodiment, the package adhesive includes at least one first conducting hole and at least one second conducting hole.
In one embodiment, the first conducting hole is electrically connected with the electricity-collecting electrode, and the second conducting hole is electrically connected with the metal foil.
In one embodiment, the dye sensitized solar cell further comprises a double-surface circuit board having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface. The first surface has at least one first conducting pad and at least one second conducting pad, the first conducting pad is electrically connected with the first conducting hole, and the second conducting pad is electrically connected with the second conducting hole.
In one embodiment, the double-surface circuit board further has two holes, the second surface of the double-surface circuit board has a third conducting pad and a fourth conducting pad, one of the holes is connected with the third conducting pad and one of the first conducting pads, and the other hole is connected with the fourth conducting pad and one of the second conducting pads.
In one embodiment, the double-surface circuit board further has a transferring pad that is disposed on the second surface and at an edge of the double-surface circuit board and electrically connected with the fourth conducting pad.
As mentioned above, the DSSC of the invention only has a substrate, on which the dye layer, the electricity-collecting electrode, the insulating adhesive, and the metal foil are disposed. Besides, the metal foil and the electricity-collecting electrode can be included in an electrical loop. Furthermore, the insulating adhesive insulates the metal foil and the electricity-collecting electrode (with the dye layer) from each other so that the DSSC can function normally to conduct a photoelectric conversion. Accordingly, the DSSC of the invention has a new structure to advantage the product's compactness as well as the product competitiveness.
The invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and accompanying drawings, which are given for illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:
The present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein the same references relate to the same elements.
The transparent conducting substrate 11 has a transparent substrate 111 and a transparent conducting layer 112, which is disposed on the transparent substrate 111. The light can enter into the DSSC 1 through the transparent conducting substrate 11. The material of the transparent substrate 111 can include glass, or plastics, such as PET or other transparent polymers. The material of the transparent conducting layer 112 can be, for example, transparent conductive film or transparent conducting oxide (TCO), such as indium oxide tin (ITO), tin oxide, or zinc oxide. The material of the transparent conducting layer 112 also can be tin oxide doped with fluorine (SnO2:F), and this kind of substrate is called an FTO substrate. The transparent conducting layer 112 can be a continuous conducting layer or include a plurality of unconnected conducting portions, and herein, it is illustrated as being a continuous transparent conducting layer without being patterned.
The dye layer 12 is disposed on the transparent conducting layer 112, and can be a continuous dye layer or include a plurality of unconnected dye portions. Herein, the dye layer 12 is illustrated to be a continuous dye layer without being patterned. For forming the dye layer 12, a dye-absorbing layer (such as titanium dioxide (TiO2)) can be disposed on the transparent conducting layer 112, and then the dye is disposed so that the TiO2 can absorb the dye to become the dye layer 12. The dye layer 12 will generate electrons by receiving the light, and the electrons will be transmitted to the transparent conducting layer 112 of the transparent conducting substrate 11. Herein, the dye in the dye layer 12 can include, for example, ruthenium metal complexes pigment, or organic pigment, such as methoxy pigment or phthalocyanine.
The electricity-collecting electrode 13 is disposed on the transparent conducting layer 112 and around the dye layer 12. The electricity-collecting electrode 13 has at least one frame portion 131, and herein has a single frame portion 131 for instance. The frame portion 131 is disposed around the dye layer 12. An edge of the frame portion 131 has a conducting connection portion 132, which functions as an electrode of the solar cell for transmitting the electricity outside. In this embodiment, the conducting connection portion 132 is a polygon, such as a rectangle, and disposed at a side of the frame portion 131, being a cathode for example.
The electricity-collecting electrode 13 is a silver paste for example. It also can be other kind of conducting paste, such as an aluminum paste or a copper paste. The electricity-collecting electrode 13 can be formed by printing, coating, sputtering, evaporation, or paste dispensing. The electricity-collecting electrode 13 can assist the electron transport of the dye layer 12. In detail, the electrons generated by the dye layer 12 will be transmitted to the transparent conducting layer 112 of the transparent conducting substrate 11, and then be transmitted to the electricity-collecting electrode 13 through the transparent conducting layer 112.
The insulating adhesive 14 is disposed around the dye layer 12 and on the electricity-collecting electrode 13, and even covers a part of the electricity-collecting electrode 13. The insulating adhesive 14 is disposed between the electricity-collecting electrode 13 and the metal foil 15 to electrically insulate them from each other. The insulating adhesive 14 can be a hot-melt adhesive, and have effects on connecting the electricity-collecting electrode 13 and preventing the electricity-collecting electrode 13 from being oxidized.
The metal foil 15 is disposed on the dye layer 12 and the insulating adhesive 14. The metal foil 15 can be a continuous metal foil or include a plurality of unconnected metal portions. Herein, the metal foil 15 is a continuous metal foil. Herein, the metal foil has a thickness between 30 μm and 100 μm for example. The metal foil 15 is disposed on the dye layer 12 and the insulating adhesive 14, but not covers the conducting connection portion 132 so that it doesn't electrically contact the conducting connection portion 132. The material of the metal foil 15 can include titanium (Ti), nickel, or stainless steel. The metal foil 15 is electrically connected with the dye layer 12, and can function as an anode of the solar cell for example. Besides, the metal foil 15 and the electricity-collecting electrode 13 can be included in an electrical loop.
The DSSC 1 further includes an electrolyte 16, which is disposed in the space formed by the metal foil 15, the insulating adhesive 14 and the dye layer 12. Because the highest point of the insulating adhesive 14 is higher than the dye layer 12, the space can be formed to contain the electrolyte 16. The metal foil 15 can be electrically connected with the dye layer 12 through the electrolyte 16, and function as another electrode of the solar cell.
The DSSC 1 can further include a package adhesive 17, which is disposed on the metal foil 15 and can prevent external objects from entering into the DSSC 1 so that the DSSC 1 can be prevented from being damaged. The package adhesive 17 also provides the DSSC 1 with the airtightness. The package adhesive 17 includes at least one first conducting hole 171 and at least one second conducting hole 172. The first conducting hole 171 is electrically connected with the electricity-collecting electrode 13, and the second conducting hole 172 is electrically connected with the metal foil 15. In detail, the first conducting hole 171 is electrically connected with the conducting connection portion 132 of the electricity-collecting electrode 13 by a wire. Otherwise, the conducting connection portion 132 can be preset with a proper height so that it can directly contact the first conducting hole 171 to achieve the electrical connection.
Referring to
In this embodiment, the transparent conducting layer 212 includes a plurality of unconnected transparent conducting portions 213. The transparent conducting layer 212 can be divided by laser cutting, mechanical cutting, chemical corrosion, or FTO printing. By dividing the transparent conducting layer 212, the DSSC 2 can be divided into several small batteries for the series or parallel connection and further for extending the application. Herein, the transparent conducting layer 212 has a plurality of separate and parallel rectangular conducting portions.
The dye layer 22 has a plurality of unconnected dye portions 221, which are disposed on the transparent conducting portions 212 respectively. The dye portion's shape is not limited, and it can be, for example, a rectangle or a regular polygon, such as a regular hexagon. Herein, matching the shape of the transparent conducting layer 212, the dye layer 22 is divided into a plurality of separate and parallel rectangles.
The electricity-colleting electrode 23 includes a plurality of frame portions 231, which are respectively disposed on the transparent conducting portions 212 and around the dye portions 221. The frame portion 231 is not limited in shape, which can be a rectangle or a regular polygon, such as a regular hexagon. When the frame portion 231 is a regular hexagon, the electricity-collecting electrode 23 can provide the optimum carrier transport efficiency. Accordingly, the electricity-collecting electrode 23 and the dye layer 22 therein are formed into a honeycomb, sharing mutual sides to become a close-packed structure, so that the dye area and the photoelectric converting efficiency can be enormously enhanced. Besides, the dye portion 221 of the dye layer 22 is also can be a regular hexagon, and disposed within the corresponding frame portion 231 of the electricity-collecting electrode 23. As shown in
Referring to
Referring to
The package adhesive 27 has at least one first conducting hole 271 and at least one second conducting hole 272, and herein for example, it has six first conducting holes 271 and six second conducting holes 272. The first conducting holes 271 are electrically connected with the electricity-collecting electrode 23, and the second conducting holes 272 are electrically connected with the metal foil 25. In details, the first conducting holes 271 are electrically connected with the conducting connection portions 232 of the electricity-collecting electrode 23 respectively, by a wire for example, or by presetting the height of the conducting connection portion 232 so that the conducting connection portion 232 can directly contact the first conducting hole 271. In details, the second conducting holes 272 are electrically connected with the metal portions 251 of the metal foil 25 respectively.
Referring to
The second surface 282 of the double-surface circuit board 28 has a third conducting pad 285 and a fourth conducting pad 286. The double-surface circuit board 28 further has two holes (not shown), one of which is connected with the third conducting pad 285 and one of the first conducting pads 283 (the leftest first conducting pad 283 in the figure for example), and the other is connected with the fourth conducting pad 286 and one of the second conducting pads 284 (the most right second conducting pad 284 in the figure for example). Accordingly, the electricity can be transmitted to the third and fourth conducting pads 285 and 286. Besides, the double-surface circuit board 28 can further include a transferring pad 287. The transferring pad 187 is disposed on the second surface 282 and at an edge of the double-surface circuit board 28, and electrically connected with the fourth conducting pad 286. Thereby, the electricity can be transferred to the transferring pad 287 and the third conducting pad 285, both of which are disposed near the edge of the double-surface circuit board 28, through the circuit of the double-surface circuit board 28. Therefore, the electricity can be easily drawn out so as to extend the application of the product. For example, the DSSC 2 can be used like the present cell phone's rechargeable battery, having two adjacent pins located at the same side.
In summary, the DSSC of the invention only has a substrate, on which the dye layer, the electricity-collecting electrode, the insulating adhesive, and the metal foil are disposed. Besides, the metal foil and the electricity-collecting electrode can be included in an electrical loop, and the metal foil can function as a catalytic layer. Further, the insulating adhesive insulates the metal foil and the electricity-collecting electrode (with the dye layer) from each other so that the DSSC can function normally to conduct a photoelectric conversion. Accordingly, the DSSC of the invention has a new structure to advantage the product's compactness as well as competitiveness.
Furthermore, there are some advantages as the electricity-collecting electrode and the dye layer are formed into hexagon, such as:
1. Less Material Waste and Higher Package Density
2. Average Stress
The equilateral hexagon structure is common in chemistry. Subjected to the resonance effect, the structure of a benzene ring is an equilateral hexagon. Graphite has a successive layer structure in which carbon molecules are arranged in equilateral hexagons, and ice crystal is also a hexagon. Besides, when water molecules freeze, they will be attracted by the hydrogen bonds and then become equilateral hexagons in structure, just because the equilateral hexagon is subjected to the average stress.
3. Enhanced Electron Transport Efficiency
Although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, this description is not meant to be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications of the disclosed embodiments, as well as alternative embodiments, will be apparent to persons skilled in the art. It is, therefore, contemplated that the appended claims will cover all modifications that fall within the true scope of the invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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100148801 | Dec 2011 | TW | national |