Download or read book Potential Development in Dye Sensitized Solar Cells for Renewable Energy written by Alagarsamy Pandikumar and published by Trans Tech Publications Ltd. This book was released on 2013-10-25 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Volume is indexed by Thomson Reuters BCI (WoS). The development of photovoltaic technology is expected to solve problems related to energy shortages and environmental pollution caused by the use of fossil fuels. Dye-sensitizedsolar cells (DSSCs) are promising next-generation alternatives to conventional silicon-based photovoltaic devices owing to their low manufacturing cost and potentially high conversion efficiency. This special topic volume addresses recent advances in the research on dye-sensitized solar cells. The focus of this special topic volume is on materials development (sensitizers, nanostructured oxide films, and electrolyte), but commercialization. This work illustrates a new pathway to achieve highly efficient DSSCs for practical applications.

Download or read book Dye sensitized Solar Cells written by Songyuan Dai and published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. This book was released on 2022-07-05 with total page 524 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The operation of everything in the universe needs a special „material“-energy. The earth is no exception. There are many kinds of energy sources on earth. But where does the earth‘s energy come from? The answer is that everything grows under the sun. Developing renewable energy is of strategic importance to achieve sustainable energy supply. Simulating natural photosynthesis is the ultimate goal of effi cient solar energy conversion. Photovoltaic technology has been widely used in industry and will be one of the major energy sources in the future. Developing new materials and structures, the photoelectric conversion effi ciency of solar cells will be improved day by day, and solar cells will attract more and more attention. This book presents principles of solar photovoltaic conversion, and introduces the physical and chemical processes involved. Mechanisms which affect solar cell performance are also discussed.

Download or read book Dye Sensitized Solar Cells written by Adarsh Kumar Pandey and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2021-10-23 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells: Emerging Trends and Advanced Applications is highly focused on addressing all aspects of dye sensitized solar cell technology. In this book, the authors present systematic analysis and working principles and detailed studies of individual components, manufacturing methods, software assisted design surrounding the technology market, commercialization potential, and performance evaluations and detailed fabrication methods and parameters. As there is no specific book which could encircle all the aspects of dye sensitized solar cells from its very basic working principles to advanced approached to improve it efficiency, this book fills that gap. Providing a comprehensive study on dye sensitized solar cells, this reference covers basic working principles to advanced approaches in improving efficiency as well as thermodynamic and kinetic studies. It will be ideal for advanced stage researchers and engineers looking to get a grip on DSSC technology. - Provides a compilation of all-important principles and advanced research in the field of dye sensitized solar cells - Specifies constituents of each DSSC, from basic to advanced level - Details advances in fabrication and software assisted design of DSSC

Download or read book Computational Optimization of Dyes for Dye sensitized Solar Cells written by and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At present, the development of renewable and sustainable energy sources along with efficient storing strategies are key to future prosperity. Solar energy conversion technologies certainly have a large potential to become the primary energy source. Particularly, the production of solar fuels and chemicals through employing photoelectrochemical (PEC) water-splitting is considered a highly promising option. The challenge is still to make the solar energy captured, converted, and stored in a cost-effective fashion. In Chapter 1 we discuss the problems of fossil fuels as a primary energy source and solar energy as an alternative source of energy. We discuss the turning points in the development of solar energy conversion technologies that lead to photoelectrochemical devices. We introduce the assembly and operational principle of dye-sensitized photoelectrochemical cells, and the idea of a modular approach with optimizing individual components of the system is a pathway to improve the overall performance. In Chapter 2 we briefly introduced the basic principles of the computational chemistry methods used throughout the thesis. That includes: density functional theory (DFT) and its approximate method density functional based tight-binding (DFTB); time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) and two types of approximate methods time-dependent density functional based tight-binding (TD-DFTB) and simplified time-dependent density functional theory (sTD-DFT); GW approximation and implicit solvation models. In Chapter 3 we introduce the perylene molecular family, suitable for the role of photo-sensitizer in DS-PECs. We review the process of automated chemical functionalization using the newly developed compound attachment tool (CAT). Generating a large number of unique molecular derivatives allows us to screen the versatile optical and electrochemical properties. In Chapter 4 we take the first step into the characterization of the generated derivatives.

Download or read book Development of High Efficiency Dye Sensitized Solar Cells written by Jake Bowers and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Photovoltaic technologies use light from the sun to create electricity, using a wide range of materials and mechanisms. The generation of clean, renewable energy using this technology must become price competitive with conventional power generation if it is to succeed on a large scale. The field of photovoltaics can be split into many sub-groups, however the overall aim of each is to reduce the cost per watt of the produced electricity. One such solar cell which has potential to reduce the cost significantly is the dye sensitised solar cell (DSC), which utilises cheap materials and processing methods. The reduction in cost of the generated electricity is largely dependent on two parameters. Firstly, the efficiency that the solar cell can convert light into electricity and secondly, the cost to deposit the solar cell. This thesis aims to address both factors, specifically looking at altering the transparent conducting oxide (TCO) and substrate in the solar cell. One method to improve the overall conversion efficiency of the device is to implement the DSC as the top cell in a tandem structure, with a bottom infra-red absorbing solar cell. The top solar cell in such a structure must not needlessly absorb photons which the bottom solar cell can utilise, which can be the case in solar cells utilising standard transparent contacts such as fluorine-doped tin oxide. In this work, transparent conducting oxides with high mobility such as titanium-doped indium oxide (ITiO) have been used to successfully increase the amount of photons through a DSC, available for a bottom infra-red sensitive solar cell such as Cu(In, Ga)Se2 (CIGS). Although electrically and optically of very high quality, the production of DSCs on this material is difficult due to the heat and chemical instability of the film, as well as the poor adhesion of TiO2 on the ITiO surface. Deposition of a interfacial SnO2 layer and a post-deposition annealing treatment in vacuum aided the deposition process, and transparent DSCs of 7.4% have been fabricated. The deposition of a high quality TCO utilising cheap materials is another method to improve the cost/watt ratio. Aluminium-doped zinc oxide (AZO) is a TCO which offers very high optical and electronic quality, whilst avoiding the high cost of indium based TCOs. The chemical and thermal instability of AZO films though present a problem due to the processing steps used in DSC fabrication. Such films etch very easily in slightly acidic environments, and are susceptible to a loss of conductivity upon annealing in air, so some steps have to be taken to fabricate intact devices. In this work, thick layers of SnO2 have been used to reduce the amount of etching on the surface of the film, whilst careful control of the deposition parameters can produce AZO films of high stability. High efficiency devices close to 9% have been fabricated using these stacked layers. Finally, transferring solar cells from rigid to flexible substrates offers cost advantages, since the price of the glass substrate is a significant part of the final cost of the cell. Also, the savings associated with roll to roll deposition of solar cells is large since the production doesn't rely on a batch process, using heavy glass substrates, but a fast, continuous process. This work has explored using the high temperature stable polymer, polyimide, commonly used in CIGS and CdTe solar cells. AZO thin films have been deposited on 7.5um thick polyimide foils, and DSCs of efficiency over 4% have been fabricated on the substrates, using standard processing methods.

Download or read book Dye sensitized Solar Cells written by Kuppuswamy Kalyanasundaram and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2010-08-03 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Several forms of thin-film solar cells are being examined as alternatives to silicon-solar cells-one of the most promising technologies is the dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC), with proven efficiencies that approach 11%. This book, which provides a comprehensive look at this promising technology, aims to provide both a graduate level text that bring

Download or read book Nanostructured and Photoelectrochemical Systems for Solar Photon Conversion written by Mary D. Archer and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2008 with total page 781 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this book, expert authors describe advanced solar photon conversion approaches that promise highly efficient photovoltaic and photoelectrochemical cells with sophisticated architectures on the one hand, and plastic photovoltaic coatings that are inexpensive enough to be disposable on the other. Their leitmotifs include light-induced exciton generation, junction architectures that lead to efficient exciton dissociation, and charge collection by percolation through mesoscale phases. Photocatalysis is closely related to photoelectrochemistry, and the fundamentals of both disciplines are covered in this volume.

Download or read book Development and Characterizationof Flexible Dye Sensitized Solar Cells written by Hasitha Chandana Weerasinghe and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 428 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Photovoltaic technology has been realized as a suitable renewable power source for the fulfillment of increasing world energy consumption with least impact on the environment. Dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) is one such photovoltaic technology which has gained a great deal of attention due to the low manufacturing cost compared tothe conventional Si-based solar cell technologies. Fabrication of DSSCs on flexible substrates enables manufacturing solar cells using cost-effective and speedy roll-to-roll processing systems and also makes the device flexible and light-weight. However,polymer-based DSSCs set restrictions to their materials and fabrication processes. In this thesis, fabrication of DSSCs on flexible polymer substrates have been extensively studied concentrating on the factors related to the slurry preparation, deposition of films and processing of electrodes to improve the mechanical and photovoltaic properties of the device.Initially, mechanically-stable, well adhered TiO2 films based on nanocrystallineP-25 TiO2 slurries were fabricated on indium tin oxide (ITO) coated plastic substrates using ball milling as a part of the processing stage, without the need for binders or high temperature annealing. The strength of the TiO2 films was examined by a novel nanoscratch technique which was developed to assess inter-particle adhesion. Interfacial and photovoltaic properties of flexible dye sensitized solar cells with a ruthenium dye involving two tetra-butyl ammonium carboxylate groups (N-719) were studied. The maximum power conversion efficiency of 4.2% is obtained under illumination of100mWcm-2, for the electrodes fabricated using 20 hour milled slurry and shorter or longer milling times were found to be less optimal.During the second stage of this work, binder-free titania pastes with high viscosity were developed for the preparation of improved quality electrodes for dye sensitized solar cells on plastic substrates. Rheological behavior of ethanol based titania pastes with theaddition of ammonia, hydrochloric acid and water was investigated. The change in the viscosity is correlated with the measured zeta potential of the colloidal titania pastes.Improved inter-particle connectivity and hence better solar cell performance was found for the pastes containing acid or water. However, no such improvements were seen for the pastes containing ammonia. Maximum light to electrical energy conversion efficiencies of 4.9% and 5.0% were obtained for the plastic based dye-sensitized solar cells fabricated using water and acid-added slurries respectively.Thirdly, chemically-sintered, mesoporous ZnO electrodes with improved interparticle connectivity were prepared in the absence of any organic binders, using ammoniaas the sole reagent to encourage interparticle connectivity. The reaction with ammoniumhydroxide was found to increase the connections between ZnO grains by forming nanorods like a structure. The enhancement of adhesion among ZnO grains was evaluated from nano-scratch technique. Two different xanthene dyes were used to sensitize ZnOelectrodes. The photo-voltage of 657 mV, fill-factor of 73 % and photo-current of 4.1mAcm-2 with the maximum light to-electrical energy conversion efficiency of 2.0 % were obtained for plastic based ZnO|Mercurochrome|electrolyte solar cell under 100 mWcm-2light intensity.One of the biggest challenges for DSSCs on plastic substrates is the difficulty in making good quality nano porous TiO2 films with both good mechanical stability and high electrical conductivity. Cold isostatic pressing (CIP) is a powder compaction technique that applies an isostatic pressure to a powder sample in all directions. It is particularly suitable for making thin films on plastic substrates and even on non-flat surfaces. During the final stage of this work, cold isostatically-pressed nanocrytallineTiO2 electrodes with excellent mechanical robustness are prepared on indium tin oxide(ITO) coated polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) substrates in the absence of organic binders, and without heat treatment. The morphology and the physical properties of theTiO2 films prepared by the CIP method were found to be very compatible with requirements for fabricating flexible DSSCs on plastics. This room-temperature processing technique has led to an important technical breakthrough in producing high efficiency flexible DSSCs. Devices fabricated on ITO/PEN films by this method using standard P-25 TiO2 films with a Ru-complex sensitizer yielded a maximum IPCE of 72%at the wavelength of 530 nm and showed high conversion efficiencies of 6.3% and 7.4%for incident light intensities of 100 and 15 mWcm-2, respectively, which are the highest power conversion efficiencies achieved so far for any DSSC on a polymer substrate using the widely-used, commercially-available P-25 TiO2 powder.

Download or read book Fundamentals of Solar Cell Design written by Inamuddin and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2021-08-24 with total page 578 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Solar cells are semiconductor devices that convert light photons into electricity in photovoltaic energy conversion and can help to overcome the global energy crisis. Solar cells have many applications including remote area power systems, earth-orbiting satellites, wristwatches, water pumping, photodetectors and remote radiotelephones. Solar cell technology is economically feasible for commercial-scale power generation. While commercial solar cells exhibit good performance and stability, still researchers are looking at many ways to improve the performance and cost of solar cells via modulating the fundamental properties of semiconductors. Solar cell technology is the key to a clean energy future. Solar cells directly harvest energy from the sun’s light radiation into electricity are in an ever-growing demand for future global energy production. Solar cell-based energy harvesting has attracted worldwide attention for their notable features, such as cheap renewable technology, scalable, lightweight, flexibility, versatility, no greenhouse gas emission, environment, and economy friendly and operational costs are quite low compared to other forms of power generation. Thus, solar cell technology is at the forefront of renewable energy technologies which are used in telecommunications, power plants, small devices to satellites. Aiming at large-scale implementation can be manipulated by various types used in solar cell design and exploration of new materials towards improving performance and reducing cost. Therefore, in-depth knowledge about solar cell design is fundamental for those who wish to apply this knowledge and understanding in industries and academics. This book provides a comprehensive overview on solar cells and explores the history to evolution and present scenarios of solar cell design, classification, properties, various semiconductor materials, thin films, wafer-scale, transparent solar cells, and so on. It also includes solar cells’ characterization analytical tools, theoretical modeling, practices to enhance conversion efficiencies, applications and patents.

Download or read book Solar Cells and Their Applications written by Lewis M. Fraas and published by Wiley. This book was released on 2010-07-13 with total page 700 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A major update of solar cell technology and the solar marketplace Since the first publication of this important volume over a decade ago, dramatic changes have taken place with the solar market growing almost 100-fold and the U.S. moving from first to fourth place in the world market as analyzed in this Second Edition. Three bold new opportunities are identified for any countries wanting to improve market position. The first is combining pin solar cells with 3X concentration to achieve economic competitiveness near term. The second is charging battery-powered cars with solar cell–generated electricity from arrays in surrounding areas—including the car owners' homes—while simultaneously reducing their home electricity bills by over ninety percent. The third is formation of economic "unions" of sufficient combined economic size to be major competitors. In this updated edition, feed-in tariffs are identified as the most effective approach for public policy. Reasons are provided to explain why pin solar cells outperform more traditional pn solar cells. Field test data are reported for nineteen percent pin solar cells and for ~500X concentrating systems with bare cell efficiencies approaching forty percent. Paths to bare cell efficiencies over fifty percent are described, and key missing program elements are identified. Since government support is needed for new technology prototype integration and qualification testing before manufacturing scale up, the key economic measure is identified in this volume as the electricity cost in cents per kilowatt-hour at the complete installed system level, rather than just the up-front solar cell modules' costs in dollars per watt. This Second Edition will benefit technologists in the fields of solar cells and systems; solar cell researchers; power systems designers; academics studying microelectronics, semiconductors, and solar cells; business students and investors with a technical focus; and government and political officials developing public policy.

Download or read book Counter Electrodes for Dye Sensitized and Perovskite Solar Cells 2 Vols written by Sining Yun and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2019-01-04 with total page 658 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A guide to one of the most important aspects for affordable and highly efficient dye-sensitized solar cells Dye-sensitized solar cells have the potential to be one of the most promising photovoltaic technologies for production of renewable and clean energy. Counter Electrodes for Dye-Sensitized and Perovskite Solar Cells offers an introduction to the various types of counter electrode catalysts for dye-sensitized solar cells and perovskite solar cells, including metal and metal compounds, carbon materials, polymers, and composites. With contributions from an international panel of experts, the book contains a discussion of the design and synthesis of the catalysts, characterization and stability of the devices, as well as calculations on properties. The contributors cover a wide range of topics including information on: carbon nanotubes electrocatalysts for I-mediated dye-sensitized solar cells; Pt-loaded composite electrocatalysts for I-mediated dye-sensitized solar cells; metal contact electrodes for perovskite solar cells; and much more. The book also includes insight into the future developments in the field. This important resource Covers the various types of counter electrode catalysts and presents design strategies, synthesis methods, theoretical calculation and stability evaluation Includes information on low-cost counter electrode catalysts and commercial applications of dye-sensitized sensitized solar cells Disscuses how electrode catalysts can be applied in a range of fields, such as solar cells, fuel cells, hydrogen production, and photocatalysis Offers contributions from leading experts in the field including Anders Hagfeldt, one of the world's leading researchers in this field Written for materials scientists, solid state chemists, electrochemists, catalytic chemists, solid state physicists, and chemical industry professionals, Counter Electrodes for Dye-Sensitized and Perovskite Solar Cells is a comprehensive and authoritative guide to dye-sensitized solar cells.

Download or read book Solar Cell Device Physics written by Stephen J. Fonash and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2012-12-02 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Solar Cell Device Physics offers a balanced, in-depth qualitative and quantitative treatment of the physical principles and operating characteristics of solar cell devices. Topics covered include photovoltaic energy conversion and solar cell materials and structures, along with homojunction solar cells. Semiconductor-semiconductor heterojunction cells and surface-barrier solar cells are also discussed. This book consists of six chapters and begins by introducing the reader to the basic physical principles and materials properties that are the foundations of photovoltaic energy conversion, with emphasis on various photovoltaic devices capable of efficiently converting solar energy into usable electrical energy. The electronic and optical properties of crystalline, polycrystalline, and amorphous materials with both organic and inorganic materials are considered, together with the manner in which these properties change from one material class to another and the implications of such changes for photovoltaics. Generation, recombination, and bulk transport are also discussed. The two mechanisms of photocarrier collection in solar cells, drift and diffusion, are then compared. The remaining chapters focus on specific solar cell device classes defined in terms of the interface structure employed: homojunctions, semiconductor-semiconductor heterojunctions, and surface-barrier devices. This monograph is appropriate for use as a textbook for graduate students in engineering and the sciences and for seniors in electrical engineering and applied physics, as well as a reference book for those actively involved in solar cell research and development.

Download or read book Development of Solar Cells written by Juganta K. Roy and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-05-12 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents a comprehensive overview of the fundamental concept, design, working protocols, and diverse photo-chemicals aspects of different solar cell systems with promising prospects, using computational and experimental techniques. It presents and demonstrates the art of designing and developing various solar cell systems through practical examples. Compared to most existing books in the market, which usually analyze existing solar cell approaches this volume provides a more comprehensive view on the field. Thus, it offers an in-depth discussion of the basic concepts of solar cell design and their development, leading to higher power conversion efficiencies. The book will appeal to readers who are interested in both fundamental and application-oriented research while it will also be an excellent tool for graduates, researchers, and professionals working in the field of photovoltaics and solar cell systems.

Download or read book Fabrication of dye sensitized solar cells using natural dyes extracted from Brazilian plants written by Marcelo Alatzatianou Rodrigues and published by Marcelo Alatzatianou Rodrigues. This book was released on 2020-05-01 with total page 86 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) is one of the emerging thin-film photovoltaic technologies. Advantages come from the low cost and easier fabrication process. The realistic overall conversion efficiency already made the commercial availability a reality. It is possible the use of natural dyes extracted from plants in DSSC fabrication to substitute synthetic dyes, which requires complex fabrication processes and the use of toxic and scarce materials, like ruthenium. Natural dye-sensitized solar cells (NDSSC) are still in an early stage, with many research groups working hard to overcome efficiency and stability issues. Natural dyes are cheap, highly available, environmentally safe and easy to extract. Nature has so much to offer to humankind, each plant is unique, with characteristics developed during million of years of evolution. Each biome has an enormous number of species readily available for study. Among them, Brazilian forests are in an outstanding position, with a gigantic quantity of species with hidden opportunities. This work aims to inspire other researchers to explore this field and find in nature new answers for a clean energy demanding world. It is shown the basic aspects of NDSSC study and practical research, from laboratory construction to cells fabrication. After a brief introduction about PV technologies, DSSC is deeper discussed based on a literature review. Physical and electrochemical aspects are presented in details. Natural dyes specificities and application in DSSC are then discussed also based on other researchers findings. With a well-established theoretical basis, this work focus then on the development of a NDSSC fabrication protocol, presenting the most important tests and results achieved. A special highlight is given to the design and fabrication of a solar simulator from scratch. Having the infrastructure, equipments and protocol defined, the fabrication of NDSSC based on Brazilian plants was possible, including plants naturally originated in the country: blackberry, quaresmeira and embaúba-vermelha, and two other non-native species due to their economically important role, of which Brazil is currently the world leader producer, they are: arabica coffee and sugarcane. The found cells efficiencies for all studied plants dyes are in the range of other important research publications, even for the simplified and low cost proposed protocol, which validates the solutions and techniques used. Coffea arabica (arabica coffee) provided the best performance, reaching 0.44% overall conversion efficiency, with no special commonly used chemical treatment, co-adsorbent or purification, such as: TiCl4, organic acids, chromatography and lyophilization. It is hoped this work contribute for the development of an even greener energy generation from sunlight.

Download or read book Encyclopedia of Renewable Energy Sustainability and the Environment written by and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2024-08-09 with total page 4061 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Encyclopedia of Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment, Four Volume Set comprehensively covers all renewable energy resources, including wind, solar, hydro, biomass, geothermal energy, and nuclear power, to name a few. In addition to covering the breadth of renewable energy resources at a fundamental level, this encyclopedia delves into the utilization and ideal applications of each resource and assesses them from environmental, economic, and policy standpoints. This book will serve as an ideal introduction to any renewable energy source for students, while also allowing them to learn about a topic in more depth and explore related topics, all in a single resource.Instructors, researchers, and industry professionals will also benefit from this comprehensive reference. - Covers all renewable energy technologies in one comprehensive resource - Details renewable energies' processes, from production to utilization in a single encyclopedia - Organizes topics into concise, consistently formatted chapters, perfect for readers who are new to the field - Assesses economic challenges faced to implement each type of renewable energy - Addresses the challenges of replacing fossil fuels with renewables and covers the environmental impacts of each renewable energy

Download or read book Contemporary Trends in Semiconductor Devices written by Rupam Goswami and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-02-16 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book covers evolution, concept and applications of modern semiconductor devices such as tunnel field effect transistors (TFETs), vertical super-thin body MOSFETs, ion sensing FETs (ISFETs), non-conventional solar cells, opto-electro mechanical devices and thin film transistors (TFTs). Comprising of theory, experimentation and applications of devices, the chapters describe state-of-art methods and techniques which shall be highly assistive in having an overall perspective on emerging technologies and working on a research area. The book is aimed at the scholars, enthusiasts and researchers who are currently working on devices in the contemporary era of semiconductor devices. Additionally, the chapters are lucid and descriptive and carry the potential of serving as a reference book for scholars in their undergraduate studies, who are looking ahead for a prospective career in semiconductor devices.

Download or read book Towards Low Temperature Sintering Methods for Dye Sensitized Solar Cells written by Sukanya Murali and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 148 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Access to economically viable renewable energy sources is essential for the development of a globally sustainable society. Solar energy has a large potential to satisfy the future need for renewable energy sources. Dye sensitized solar cells are a third generation of photovoltaic technologies with the potential for low cost environmentally safe energy production. Commercialization of this technology requires that dye sensitized solar cells with higher efficiencies can be fabricated on flexible substrates. The commonly used material for the anode in a Dye Sensitized Solar Cell consists of titanium dioxide nanoparticles covered with a layer of light sensitizing dye. For efficient electron transport throughout the nanoparticle network, good particle interconnections are necessary. For low temperature processing these interconnections can be achieved through a hydrothermal process. The focus of this research is to understand at a fundamental level this reaction-based sintering process. A titanium alkoxide precursor was mixed with commercial titania nanoparticles and coated on a transparent conductive oxide substrate. The product of the hydrolysis and condensation of the alkoxide served to connect the nanoparticles thus improving the electrical conduction of the titania electrode; this was confirmed by solar cell testing and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. To further understand the formation of interconnections during reactive sintering, a model system based on inert silica particles was investigated. Titanium alkoxide precursor was mixed with commercial silica particles and reacted. Three different types of silica particles were used: each with a different morphology. The silica-titania multilayers/powders were characterized using SEM, XRD and BET. The efficiency of DSSCs is higher when larger non-porous silica particles are used and thin nanocrystalline titania is coated on this superstructure. This gave insight into the locations where the reactive liquid finally goes as these reactions are carried out. As a further extension of this study, thin layers of this same kind of silica-titania composite were obtained by spin coating a titanium alkoxide sol mixed with monosized 500nm silica particles. SEM was used to examine the morphology of the contact/neck formation. Image analysis was done to quantify the effect of key process parameters on the average neck width at 2-particle contact points. The use of image analysis to study mixed oxide sub-monolayers in this way is the first of its kind. These observational tools and the model system approach developed in this research could be applied to many systems that are of interest for optical and mechanical applications.