Screen-Printed Solar Cells Based on Nanocrystalline TiO2 Films

50533-98-I Screen-Printed Solar Cells Based on Nanocrystalline TiO2 Films--Radiation Monitoring Devices, Inc., 44 Hunt Street, , Watertown, MA 02172-4624; (617) 926-1167 Dr. Micheel R. Squillante, Principal Investigator Dr. Gerald Entine, Business Official DOE Grant No. DE-FG02-98ER82649 Amount: $75,000 Photoelectrochemical dye-sensitized nanocrystalline solar cells offer the hope of meeting DOE¿s goals for 15% efficient photovoltaic electricity generation at less than $1.5 per peak watt. Production techniques applicable to large area, high volume TiO2 films, polymer and glass frit sealant, together with low vapor pressure gel electrolyte, need to be developed and proven in order to move cells from the laboratory to the outdoor testing environment and commercialization. This project will employ screen-printing techniques to produce large area reproducible films of high surface area TiO2. Screen-printing will also be applied to a polymer based glass sealant to improve cell reliability. Low cost and large area screen-printing techniques will be employed in a production environment along with a carefully selected TiO2 and organic dye precursor mixture to allow for consistent dye-sensitized nanocrystalline film deposition. In addition, the screen-printing technique will be developed for the gel electrolyte and the polymer sealant. Finally, glass adhesion promoters and primers will be used in 1-10 cm2 area cells for outdoor testing. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The proposed solar cell is simple, environmentally compatible and should find widespread use in commercial exploitation of renewable energy. The cost of power produced will be ~$0.6/watt, close to that of conventional fossil fuels. _