Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have many advantages over their silicon-based counterparts. They offer transparency, flexibility and high power conversion efficiencies under cloudy and artificial light conditions. Most materials needed to produce them are low-cost and abundant. However, until now their overall efficiency has been lower than silicon-based solar cells, mostly because of the inherent voltage loss during the regeneration of the sensitizing dye. In a Nature publication, EPFL scientists have developed a state solid version of the DSSC that is fabricated by a new two-step process raising their efficiency up to a record 15% without sacrificing stability. Read more »
