Reliability of dye sensitized solar cell without sealing

A detachable working electrode on different counter electrodes without sealing is proposed for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) to reduce the time needed for characterizing the photovoltaic properties. The photovoltaic properties were measured with time immediately after injecting the electrolyte and with the number of repetitions of reassembling the DSSC devices. The photovoltaic properties, such as the current density, open circuit voltage, fill factor, and energy conversion efficiency (ECE), were measured using a solar simulator apparatus. The microstructure was examined by optical microscopy. The ECE was checked every two minutes immediately after electrolyte injection. The photovoltaic properties were determined reliably at 10-20 minutes after electrolyte injection due to a trade-off between the diffusion of the electrolyte into the TiO₂ layer and the degradation of the electrolyte with time. With the repetition of reassembly, the detachable electrodes might show a reliable ECE until four repetitions. ECE degraded abruptly after five repetitions of the test because of the broken TiO ₂ layers and spacers. These results suggest that the proposed detachable electrodes without sealing will be suitable for repeated measurements for photovoltaic properties.