Method for manufacturing dye-sensitized solar cells and solar cells so produced

Abstract

A dye-sensitized solar cell having a porous conductive powder layer, which layer is formed by: deposition of a deposit comprising metal hydride particles onto a substrate; heating the deposit in a subsequent heating step in order to decompose the metal hydride particles to metal particles; and sinter said metal particles for forming a porous conductive powder layer.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A dye-sensitized solar cell comprising a porous conductive powder stack, wherein
 the porous conductive powder stack comprises an electrically insulating porous separator, the electrically insulating porous separator having a first surface and a second surface respectively at opposite sides of the electrically insulating porous separator relative to a direction that traverses the porous conductive powder stack,   a porous conductive powder layer back contact is arranged on the first surface of the electrically insulating porous separator,   a counter electrode is arranged on the second surface of the electrically insulating porous separator, and   the porous conductive powder layer back contact comprises sintered metal particles having non-spherical, irregular form.   
     
     
         2 . A dye-sensitized solar cell according to  claim 1 , wherein the sintered metal particles of the porous conductive powder layer back contact are titanium particles. 
     
     
         3 . A dye-sensitized solar cell according to  claim 1 , wherein the counter electrode is a porous conductive powder layer counter electrode comprising sintered metal particles having non-spherical, irregular form. 
     
     
         4 . A dye-sensitized solar cell according to  claim 3 , wherein the sintered metal particles of the porous conductive powder layer counter electrode are titanium particles. 
     
     
         5 . A dye-sensitized solar cell according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the counter electrode is a porous conductive powder layer counter electrode comprising sintered metal particles having non-spherical, irregular form, and wherein   the porous conductive powder layer counter electrode comprises integrated catalytic particles.   
     
     
         6 . A dye-sensitized solar cell according to  claim 5 , wherein the catalytic particles are at least one of the materials in the group consisting of platinum, platinized carbon black and platinized graphite. 
     
     
         7 . A dye-sensitized solar cell according to  claim 5 , wherein the catalytic particles are platinized particles of at least one of the materials in the group consisting of conductive metal oxides, conductive metal carbides and conductive metal nitrides. 
     
     
         8 . A dye-sensitized solar cell according to  claim 7 , wherein the platinized particles of conductive metal oxides are at least one of the materials in the group consisting of platinized indium tin oxide (ITO), antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO), and fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO). 
     
     
         9 . A dye-sensitized solar cell according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the counter electrode comprises a porous conductive powder layer counter electrode comprising sintered metal particles having non-spherical, irregular form,   the counter electrode comprises a separate catalytic layer in direct contact with the porous conductive powder layer counter electrode, and   the separate catalytic layer is arranged on the side of the porous conductive powder layer counter electrode that is closest to the second surface of the electrically insulating porous separator.   
     
     
         10 . A dye-sensitized solar cell according to  claim 9 , wherein
 the separate catalytic layer is made of titanium and platinized particles of at least one of one of the materials in the group consisting of platinum, platinized carbon black and platinized graphite.   
     
     
         11 . A dye-sensitized solar cell according to  claim 9 , wherein the separate catalytic layer comprises platinized particles of at least one of the materials in the group consisting of conductive metal oxides, conductive metal carbides and conductive metal nitrides. 
     
     
         12 . A dye-sensitized solar cell according to  claim 11 , wherein the platinized particles of conductive metal oxides are at least one of the materials in the group consisting of platinized ITO, ATO, and FTO. 
     
     
         13 . A dye-sensitized solar cell according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the porous conductive powder layer back contact and the counter electrode has a thickness from about 1 μm to about 100 μm. 
     
     
         14 . A dye-sensitized solar cell according to  claim 1 , wherein the electrically insulating porous separator comprises one or more of the materials in the group consisting of alumina (Al 2 O 3 ), magnesia (MgO), zirconia (ZrO 2 ), silica (SiO 2 ), and aluminosilicate (Al 2 SiO 5 ). 
     
     
         15 . A dye-sensitized solar cell according to  claim 1 , wherein a substrate is arranged in contact with the porous conductive powder stack, said substrate comprises one or more of the materials in the group consisting of a transparent conducting oxide (TCO)-less glass, TCO-covered glass, glass, metal and a porous ceramic. 
     
     
         16 . A dye-sensitized solar cell according to  claim 15 , wherein the porous ceramic is one or more of the materials in the group consisting of glass fibres and aluminosilicate fibres. 
     
     
         17 . A dye-sensitized solar cell according to  claim 15 , wherein the substrate is a flexible substrate. 
     
     
         18 . A dye-sensitized solar cell according to  claim 1 , wherein the porous conductive powder layer back contact has a sheet resistance <1 ohm/sq. 
     
     
         19 . A dye-sensitized solar cell according to  claim 1 , wherein a working electrode comprising TiO 2  is arranged in contact with the porous conductive powder layer back contact. 
     
     
         20 . A porous conductive powder stack for a dye-sensitized solar cell, wherein
 the porous conductive powder stack comprises an electrically insulating porous separator, the electrically insulating porous separator having a first surface and a second surface respectively at opposite sides of the electrically insulating porous separator relative to a direction that traverses the porous conductive powder stack,
 a porous conductive powder layer back contact is arranged on the first surface of the electrically insulating porous separator, 
 a porous conductive powder layer counter electrode is arranged on the second surface of the electrically insulating porous separator, and 
 the porous conductive powder layer back contact and the porous conductive powder layer counter electrode comprises sintered metal particles having non-spherical, irregular form.