Patent ID: 9214287
Filing Date: 2015-12-15
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 optional additive, and the electrolyte layer contains in the electrolyte layer any one of sulfur materials as either: the solvent present in an amount sufficient to dissolve the chemical species as the redox couple, or the additive in a dissolved state: 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 when the sulfur material (b) is a sulfone compound as the sulfur material containing a sulfur atom having an oxidation number of +4, the sulfone compound is used as the additive present in a dissolved state in the solvent of the electrolyte solution in the electrolyte layer but not used as the solvent of the electrolyte solution present in an amount sufficient to dissolve the chemical species as the redox couple, 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).