Patent ID: 9183992
Filing Date: 2015-11-10
Classification: H01G,H01L,Y02E,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A dye-sensitized solar cell wherein the dye-sensitized solar cell is a dye-sensitized type solar cell comprising: a semiconductor electrode containing a photo-sensitizing dye; an electrolyte layer containing chemical species as a redox couple; and a counter electrode disposed opposite to the semiconductor electrode with the electrolyte layer interposed therebetween, the counter electrode is a catalyst electrode containing a platinum group, the electrolyte layer contains the chemical species as the redox couple, a solvent of an electrolyte solution for dissolving these, and an additive, and the additive comprises any one of sulfur materials in a dissolved state in the electrolyte layer: with the proviso that the sulfur material (b) is such a material that when the catalyst electrode is surface-treated with the sulfur material (b), the treated surface of the catalyst electrode has a photoelectron peak within a binding energy range of 161 to 165 eV in an X-ray photoelectron spectrum, when the sulfur material (a) is guanidinium thiocyanate, a concentration of the guanidinium thiocyanate is less than 0.1 M in the electrolyte layer, and when the sulfur material (a) is 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium thiocyanate, a volume percent of the 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium thiocyanate is less than 35% by volume in the solvent of the electrolyte solution, and where the volume percent of the 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium thiocyanate is calculated based on a sum of volumes of a main solvent and one or more cosolvents where the main solvent is a liquid component present in a largest amount (based on the volume of the component present alone) among components in a liquid state at standard ambient temperature and pressure (25° C., 1 atm) of the electrolyte layer, and the one or more cosolvents are 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium thiocyanate (ionic liquid) and one or more optional liquid components, each of the optional liquid components having a one-fifth volume or more of the main solvent (based on the volumes of the components each present alone).