Design and Fabrication of Carbon‐based Nanostructured Counter Electrode Materials for Dye‐sensitized Solar Cells

Summary

Photovoltaic (PV) is the collective name for devices that directly convert sunlight into electricity. This chapter explores some famous types of solar cells. The first generation solar cells are also known as silicon wafer‐based solar cells. The second generation of PV materials is based on the use of thin film deposits of semiconductors. Third generation solar cells are very different because of the use of innovative semiconductors. There are several technologies in the third generation, which includes photoelectrochemical cells, nanocrystal solar cells, and dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Fourth generation solar cells use composite PV technology. The chapter presents a detailed illustration on DSSCs and their applications. DSSCs are the most prominent third generation solar cells, exhibiting several features that are not available in any other types of solar cell. The photoelectrode and counter electrode (CE) of standard DSSCs are prepared on a transparent conducting glass substrate. The photoelectrode is a key component in the DSSC.