TW201714331A - Dye-sensitized photovoltaic cell, module and method for packaging the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A dye-sensitized photovoltaic cell (DSSC) is provided. The DSSC comprises a working electrode and an opposite electrode. The working electrode comprises a first conducting layer and a semiconductor layer disposed on the first conducting layer. The DSSC is made by following packaging method: (a) disposing a packing layer on the first conducting layer, wherein the packing layer defines a space including a first area and a second area, the first area is connected to the second area, and the semiconductor layer is in the first area; (b) disposing the opposite electrode on the packaging layer, wherein the packaging layer connects the working electrode and the opposite electrode, and the opposite electrode covers the first area but partially cover or does not cover the second area; (c) injecting an electrolyte into the first area via the second area; and (d) closing the second area by a packaging material.

Description

Dye-sensitized photovoltaic type battery, module and packaging method thereof

The invention relates to a dye-sensitized photovoltaic type battery, in particular to a dye-sensitized photovoltaic type battery manufactured by a specific packaging method and a module thereof.

Dye-Sensitized Photovoltaic Cell, also known as Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell (DSSC), is a new type of solar cell with raw material and manufacturing cost compared to traditional tantalum solar cells. It is much cheaper, so it has caused considerable concern in recent years. The main structure of the DSSC consists of a working electrode, a counter electrode and an electrolyte. A nanoporous semiconductor layer for adsorbing a dye is provided on the working electrode, and the semiconductor layer is immersed in the electrolytic solution. There is an electrolyte infusion procedure in the conventional DSSC manufacturing/packaging method by drilling a surface of the electrode, injecting the electrolyte through the hole, and finally sealing the hole with UV glue. This method leaves a few holes in the surface of the electrode. Since the electrolyte generally has strong oxidizability and high volatility, the more holes, the more volatile or leaking the electrolyte. In addition, the UV glue that seals the holes may infiltrate and contaminate the electrolyte through the holes, and even enter the semiconductor layer, resulting in failure of the DSSC redox mechanism and reducing product yield.

In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a method for packaging a dye-sensitized photovoltaic cell. The shape of the encapsulation layer is changed, and the encapsulation position of the working electrode/counter electrode is changed to change the electrolyte injection mode, and no additional drilling is required on the surface of the electrode. Electrolyte. This encapsulation method reduces and reduces the injection path of the electrolyte, reduces the leakage rate of the electrolyte, and avoids direct contact of the encapsulation layer with the nanoporous semiconductor layer.

According to an aspect of the invention, a method of packaging a dye-sensitized photovoltaic cell is presented. The dye-sensitized photovoltaic cell includes a working electrode and a pair of electrodes. The working electrode includes a first conductive layer and a semiconductor layer, and the semiconductor layer is disposed on the first conductive layer. The packaging method includes the following steps: (a) providing an encapsulation layer over the first conductive layer of the working electrode, the encapsulation layer defining a space, the space including a first area and a second area, first The region and the second region are in communication with each other, and the semiconductor layer is located in the first region; (b) the counter electrode is disposed on the encapsulation layer, and the working electrode and the counter electrode are connected by the encapsulation layer, wherein the counter electrode covers the first region but is not covered Or partially covering the second region; (c) injecting an electrolyte into the first region via the second region; and (d) closing the second region with an encapsulating material.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of packaging a dye-sensitized photovoltaic cell is provided. The dye-sensitized photovoltaic cell comprises a pair of electrodes and a working electrode, and the counter electrode comprises a second conductive layer. The packaging method includes the following steps: (a) providing an encapsulation layer on the second conductive layer of the pair of electrodes, the encapsulation layer defining a space, the space including a first area and a second area, the first area And the first The two regions are connected to each other; (b) the working electrode is disposed on the encapsulation layer, and the pair of electrodes and the working electrode are connected by the encapsulation layer, wherein the pair of electrodes cover the first region but not cover or partially cover the a second region; (c) injecting an electrolyte into the first region via the second region; and (d) closing the second region with an encapsulating material.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a dye-sensitized photovoltaic type battery manufactured by the above packaging method.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, a battery module in which a plurality of the above-described dye-sensitized photovoltaic cells are connected in series or in parallel is provided.

In order to make the above and other features of the present invention more comprehensible, the embodiments are described in detail below.

1‧‧‧Dye-sensitized photovoltaic cells

100‧‧‧Working electrode

110‧‧‧First conductive layer

120‧‧‧Semiconductor layer

200‧‧‧ opposite electrode

210‧‧‧Second conductive layer

220‧‧‧catalytic layer

300‧‧‧Encapsulation layer

400‧‧‧ electrolyte

500‧‧‧Packaging materials

S‧‧‧ Space

S1‧‧‧ first area

S2‧‧‧Second area

L‧‧‧Light

1 is a cross-sectional view showing a dye-sensitized photovoltaic cell according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2A to 2C are diagrams showing a packaging method of a dye-sensitized photovoltaic cell according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2A is a schematic view showing the arrangement of the encapsulation layer on the working electrode; FIG. 2B is a schematic view showing the arrangement of the counter electrode; and FIG. 2C is a schematic view showing the encapsulation of the electrolyte injection channel by the encapsulation material.

FIG. 3 illustrates an arrangement of an encapsulation layer according to another embodiment of the present invention.

4A to 4C illustrate dye-sensitized light according to another embodiment of the present invention The packaging method of the volt battery. 4A is a schematic view showing the arrangement of the encapsulation layer on the working electrode; FIG. 4B is a schematic view showing the arrangement of the counter electrode; and FIG. 4C is a schematic view showing the encapsulation of the electrolyte injection channel by the encapsulation material.

In the following descriptions, "upper", "lower", "left", and "right" are used to describe the relative position of the component, not the absolute position of the component.

The term "packaging method of a dye-sensitized photovoltaic cell" as used in the present invention means at least a process of assembling a working electrode, a counter electrode, and an encapsulating layer of a dye-sensitized photovoltaic cell and pouring it into an electrolyte. More specifically, the "packaging method of the dye-sensitized photovoltaic cell" as used in the present invention means at least the process of assembling the working electrode, the counter electrode, and the encapsulating layer, pouring the electrolyte, and then closing the opening for pouring the electrolyte. .

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a cross-sectional view of a dye-sensitized photovoltaic cell 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The dye-sensitized photovoltaic cell 1 includes a working electrode 100 and a counter electrode 200, which are disposed opposite each other and connected by an encapsulation layer 300. The dye-sensitized photovoltaic cell 1 has a closed space inside to store the electrolyte 400. The working electrode 100 includes a first conductive layer 110 and a semiconductor layer 120 disposed above the first conductive layer 110. The counter electrode 200 includes a second conductive layer 210 and a catalytic layer 220 disposed under the second conductive layer 210, that is, the semiconductor layer 120 is opposite to the catalytic layer 220. A wire or other conductive material is separately connected to the counter electrode and the working electrode by soldering, bonding or other methods to use the dye-sensitized photovoltaic cell 1.

At least one of the first conductive layer 110 and the second conductive layer 210 is made of a transparent conductive material to pass the light L to achieve a power generation function. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the first conductive layer 110 is made of a transparent conductive material. The transparent conductive material used may include indium tin oxide (ITO), fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO), graphene, ZnO-Ga ₂ O ₃ , ZnO-Al ₂ O ₃ , SnO ₂ -Sb ₂ O ₃ or the like. Combinations of other transparent conductive materials may also be used, and the invention is not limited thereto. One of the first conductive layer 110 and the second conductive layer 210 may be made of an opaque conductive material including a titanium plate, a stainless steel plate, a nickel-plated iron plate, a nickel-plated titanium plate, a titanium-coated iron plate, and a titanium-plated steel plate. And the stainless steel plastic composite board can also use a conductive material that can withstand the corrosion of the electrolyte, and the invention is not limited thereto.

The semiconductor layer 120 is a nanometer porous film, and the material thereof may include Ti, Nb, a metal oxide of a metal such as Zn, Sn, Ta, W, Ni, Fe, Cr, V, Pm, Zr, Sr, In, Ir, La, Mo, Mg, Al, Y, Sc, Sm, Ga, or the like A metal oxide of a mixture of metals. The semiconductor layer 120 is adsorbed with a photosensitizing dye, and after absorbing the light L, electrons can be released to achieve a power generation effect. The thickness of the semiconductor layer 120 is preferably between 0.01 and 1000 micrometers (μm).

The material of the catalytic layer 220 may include Pt, Ru, Pd, Rh, Ir, Os, WO ₃ , TiO ₂ , graphite, or a mixture of the above materials.

The material of the encapsulation layer 300 can be selected from a hot melt encapsulation film, an ultraviolet curing adhesive, and a hot hard Encapsulating adhesives, hot melt encapsulants or other packaging materials with strong resistance to electrolyte corrosion. The thickness of the encapsulation layer 300 is preferably between 0.1 and 1000 μm.

The electrolyte 400 is a liquid electrolyte, an ionic liquid electrolyte, a liquid polymer electric Detoxification one of them.

In addition, a plurality of the above dye-sensitized photovoltaic cells may be connected in series or in parallel to form A dye-sensitized photovoltaic cell module to provide higher voltage or capacitance.

In particular, the structure of the dye-sensitized photovoltaic cell of the present invention is not only Limited to the above, it can be any conventional construction. For example, a metal gate and a protective layer can be additionally provided on the dye-sensitized photovoltaic type.

Please refer to FIG. 2A to FIG. 2C, which illustrate an embodiment of the present invention. A method of packaging a dye-sensitized photovoltaic cell. This method can be used to package and manufacture the dye-sensitized photovoltaic type battery 1 of Fig. 1, but is not limited thereto. The dye-sensitized photovoltaic cell packaging method of the present invention can be used to package dye-sensitized photovoltaic cells of various structures.

First, as shown in FIG. 2A, a working electrode 100 is provided (including a first conductive Layer 110 and semiconductor layer 120). An encapsulation layer 300 is then disposed on the first conductive layer 110. The encapsulation layer 300 can be integrally formed. For example, when the hot-melt encapsulation film is used as the encapsulation material, the positioning system can be automatically positioned by the positioning system at a time to save the process time; the encapsulation layer 300 can also be formed by discontinuous segmentation. The encapsulation layer 300 surrounds the semiconductor layer 120, which may or may not partially contact the semiconductor layer 120, here taking the semiconductor layer 120 as an example. The encapsulation layer 300 defines a space S on the first conductive layer 110, and this space S can accommodate the electrolyte 400 in a process step described later (refer to FIG. 1). The space S is divided into a first region S1 and a second region S2, which are in communication with each other, wherein the semiconductor layer 120 is located in the first region S1 and does not contact the second region S2. The shape of the first region S1 substantially conforms to the shape of the semiconductor layer 120. In this embodiment, the area of the first region S1 is larger than the area of the semiconductor layer 120 such that the encapsulation layer 300 does not contact the semiconductor layer 120. The number, shape, and position of the second region S2 are not limited, and in the second drawing, one second region is taken as an example.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2B, the counter electrode 200 is disposed on the encapsulation layer 300, The working electrode 100 and the counter electrode 200 are connected by the encapsulation layer 300. The counter electrode 200 is arranged to be completely covered The first area S1 is covered, but the second area S2 is not completely covered. Incomplete coverage herein means that the counter electrode 200 does not cover the second region S2, or the counter electrode 200 partially covers the second region S2. After the working electrode 100 and the counter electrode 200 are fixed by the encapsulation layer 300, the second region S2 not covered by the counter electrode 200 and the working electrode 100, the counter electrode 200 and the encapsulation layer 300 form an opening/channel through which the opening can be formed ( The uncovered second region S2) injects the electrolyte 400 (Fig. 1) between the working electrode 100 and the counter electrode 200. The filling method of the electrolytic solution may include a method such as vacuum infusion, pressurized infusion, or capillary injection, and the present invention is not particularly limited.

After the electrolyte injection is completed, as shown in FIG. 2C, a package material 500 will be used. The opening is closed, and the second region S2 is closed so that the electrolyte inside the dye-sensitized photovoltaic cell does not leak out, that is, the encapsulation method of the embodiment is completed. The encapsulating material 500 may use the same or different materials as the encapsulating layer 300, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 2A to 2C, there is only one second region S2, and the connection is electrically connected. An opening/channel is formed after the pole 200 to fill the electrolyte. However, in practical applications, depending on the method of electrolyte perfusion (for example, at least 2 channels are required when the pressure perfusion method is used), or the speed of filling the electrolyte is increased, the shape of the encapsulation layer 300 may be changed, and a plurality of seconds may be defined. In region S2, a plurality of openings/channels are created to inject the electrolyte. Referring to FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the encapsulation layer 300 divides the upper and lower second regions S2 on the first conductive layer 110, and the upper and lower channels can be formed after connecting the counter electrodes to facilitate electrolyte perfusion.

The invention discloses a method for packaging a dye-sensitized photovoltaic type battery, and provides an encapsulation layer 300 on the working electrode 100, the second region S2 is reserved in the vicinity of the semiconductor layer 120 (FIG. 2A), and the working electrode 100 and the counter electrode 200 are bonded and fixed by the encapsulation layer 300, and are not covered by the counter electrode 200. The two regions S2 can form a channel/opening (Fig. 2B) through which the electrolyte can pass Injected into the interior of the dye-sensitized photovoltaic cell. Finally, the channel/opening is sealed with encapsulating material 500 (Fig. 2C). The packaging method does not need to drill holes on the counter electrode, thereby effectively reducing and reducing the injection channel of the electrolyte, and avoiding too close or direct contact between the package material and the semiconductor layer, thereby greatly reducing the speed of electrolyte leakage after packaging, thereby extending The life of dye-sensitized photovoltaic cells.

It should be noted that in an embodiment of the present invention, the foregoing first region S1 and the aforementioned second region S2 are defined by a region covered by the aforementioned counter electrode. For example, referring to FIG. 4A, a working electrode 100 (including a first conductive layer 110 and a semiconductor layer 120) is provided. An encapsulation layer 300 is then disposed on the first conductive layer 110. The encapsulation layer 300 surrounds but does not contact the semiconductor layer 120 and defines a space S on the first conductive layer 110. According to the position (FIG. 4B) of the counter electrode 200 covering the semiconductor layer 120 in the subsequent step, the space S can be divided into the first region S1 and the second region S2.

As can be seen from the embodiment shown in the figure, the first area S1 and the second area S2 There is no obvious regional distinction between the two. In other words, when the pair of electrodes 200 covers the semiconductor layer 120 without completely covering the space S, the covered area is the first area S1 of the present invention, and the uncovered area is the present invention. The second region S2. Then, an electrolyte solution is injected between the working electrode 100 and the counter electrode 200 through the opening/channel formed by the second region S2 and the working electrode 100, the counter electrode 200, and the encapsulation layer 300. After the electrolyte injection is completed, as shown in FIG. 4C, the opening is closed by a sealing material 500, and the second region S2 is closed, so that the electrolyte inside the dye-sensitized photovoltaic cell does not leak out, that is, the embodiment is completed. The packaging method.

In addition, although the packaging method of the above embodiment is performed from the working electrode, But it is not limited to this. In other embodiments of the invention, the working electrode and the counter electrode may be exchanged, that is, the package is first started from the counter electrode. For example, first provide a counter electrode (including a second conductive Floor). Then, an encapsulation layer is disposed on the second conductive layer, and the encapsulation layer defines a space S on the second conductive layer. Then, the working electrode is disposed on the encapsulation layer, and the encapsulation layer is connected to the counter electrode and the working electrode. The portion of the space S covered by the working electrode is the first region S1, and the portion not covered by the working electrode (or the portion not completely covered) is the second region S2. The electrolyte is injected into the first region S1 from the second region S2. Finally, the second region is enclosed by a packaging material.

Although the present invention has been described above by way of examples, the embodiments are not intended to limit the invention. It is to be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the invention may be practiced or modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

100‧‧‧Working electrode

110‧‧‧First conductive layer

120‧‧‧Semiconductor layer

300‧‧‧Encapsulation layer

S‧‧‧ Space

S1‧‧‧ first area

S2‧‧‧Second area

Claims (11)

A method for packaging a dye-sensitized photovoltaic cell, the dye-sensitized photovoltaic cell comprising a working electrode and a pair of electrodes, the working electrode comprising a first conductive layer and a semiconductor layer, the semiconductor layer being disposed on the first conductive Above the layer; the packaging method comprises the steps of: (a) providing an encapsulation layer over the first conductive layer of the working electrode, the encapsulation layer defining a space, the space comprising a first region and at least a second a region, the first region and the second region are in communication with each other, the semiconductor layer is located in the first region; (b) the counter electrode is disposed on the encapsulation layer, and the working electrode and the pair of electrodes are connected by the encapsulation layer Wherein the pair of electrodes cover the first region but does not cover or partially cover the second region; (c) inject an electrolyte into the first region via the second region; and (d) is enclosed by a packaging material The second area. The encapsulation method of claim 1, wherein the pair of electrodes comprises a second conductive layer, and at least one of the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer is made of a transparent conductive material, The transparent conductive material includes indium tin oxide (ITO), fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO), graphene, ZnO-Ga ₂ O ₃ , ZnO-Al ₂ O ₃ , SnO ₂ -Sb ₂ O ₃ , or a combination thereof. The encapsulation method of claim 2, wherein the other of the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer is made of an opaque conductive material, and the opaque conductive material comprises a titanium plate, a stainless steel plate, Nickel-plated iron plate, nickel-plated titanium plate, titanium-coated iron plate, titanium-plated steel plate and stainless steel plastic composite plate. The encapsulation method of claim 1, wherein the encapsulation layer has a thickness of from 0.1 to 1000 μm. The packaging method of claim 1, wherein the material of the encapsulation layer is different from the encapsulation material. The encapsulation method of claim 1, wherein the encapsulation layer has the same material as the encapsulation material. The encapsulation method of claim 1, wherein the encapsulation layer does not contact the semiconductor layer. The encapsulation method of claim 1, wherein in the step (a), the encapsulation layer defines the first region and the second region; and in the step (c), the pressure perfusion method And injecting an electrolyte into the first region via the two second regions. A method for packaging a dye-sensitized photovoltaic cell, the dye-sensitized photovoltaic cell comprising a working electrode and a pair of electrodes, the pair of electrodes comprising a second conductive layer; the packaging method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a package Layered on the second conductive layer of the pair of electrodes, the encapsulation layer defines a space, the space including a first area and at least a second area, the first area and the second area are connected to each other; (b) The working electrode is disposed on the encapsulation layer, and the pair of electrodes and the working electrode are connected by the encapsulation layer, wherein the pair of electrodes cover the first region but not cover or partially cover the second region; (c) via The second region implants an electrolyte into the first region; and (d) encloses the second region with an encapsulating material. A dye-sensitized photovoltaic cell manufactured by the packaging method of any one of claims 1 to 9. A dye-sensitized photovoltaic type battery module is obtained by connecting a plurality of dye-sensitized photovoltaic cells of claim 10 in series or in parallel.