View source for Nanocrystalline - Dye Solar Cell Lab

<table id="toc" style="width: 100%">
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 33%">[[Main_Page#K-12 Outreach Kits and Labs|K-12 Outreach Kits and Labs]]</td>

</tr>
</table> 

This page is devoted to the research and development of a organic solar cell that can be built in a high school chemistry lab. It is adapted from the nanocrystalline solar cell kit from ICE. 

=== Background ===
This dye sensitized solar cell, also known as a Graetzel cell uses a thin film of titanium dioxide which has been ground to to a fine powder (nanocrystalline) to increase its reactive surface area. The TiO<sub>2</sub> is sandwiched between two glass slides that coated with conductive and transparent indium tin oxide (ITO). The TiO<sub>2</sub> is impregnated with some kind of colored dye, in this case anthocyanin from raspberry juice, which is the chemical which first traps the solar energy and passes the charge to the TiO<sub>2</sub>. Finally the space between the slides is filled with an liquid electrolyte solution of potassium iodide which forms an serves to transport charge (by way of a redox reaction) from the bottom electrode to the dye to complete the circuit.

[[Image:500px-Dye_Sensitized_Solar_Cell_Scheme.png‎|thumb|300px|Light hits the dye which frees an electron to be accepted by the TiO<sub>2</sub>, electrons are returned to the dye by a redox reaction in the potassium iodide solution in contact with the rear electrode.]]
[[Image:AssembledCell_small.JPG‎|thumb|left|300px|]]

<br clear='all'>

see wikipedia [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dye-sensitized_solar_cells Dye Sensitized solar cells]

=== Procedure ===

<embed_document width="55%" height="400">http://depts.washington.edu/cmditr/media/Materials_List.pdf</embed_document>

<embed_document width="55%" height="400">http://depts.washington.edu/cmditr/media/Safety.pdf</embed_document>

<embed_document width="55%" height="400">http://depts.washington.edu/cmditr/media/Color_lab_manual.pdf</embed_document>

[http://depts.washington.edu/cmditr/media/Color_lab_manual.pdf Download lab manual]

=== Video Instructions ===

{{#ev:youtube|tnK3z6s21j4}}

{{#ev:youtube|Qbsl1NP5uZI}}

=== Web Links ===

'''Alternative Device Instructions'''

[http://mrsec.wisc.edu/Edetc/nanolab/TiO2/index.html Wisconsin Mrsec TiO2 Example]

[http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=11&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bowlesphysics.com%2Fnano%2FNanotechnology.ppt&ei=k7U_SpPlL42YsgPVhsG7Dw&usg=AFQjCNHxV9JA-O5zhqd-eru4dKOf_LdCcQ&sig2=myz3LgPKout8dA0O7dL17Q Student project powerpoint]

[http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=12&url=http%3A%2F%2Fapps1.eere.energy.gov%2Feducation%2Flessonplans%2Fpdfs%2Fsolar_4photovoltaicseriescircuits.pdf&ei=k7U_SpPlL42YsgPVhsG7Dw&usg=AFQjCNGAOqaw5SVZlShfIzYOh7un98va8A&sig2=kcbhR0QGLt-ZgOZYo_i0dg Solar cell lesson plan]

[http://www.linux-host.org/energy/aflatcell.html Copper Foil cell]

[http://www.solideas.com/papers/Exploratorium_Solar.pdf Exploratorium version]

[http://www.solideas.com/solrcell/coatglas.html Solideas version]

[http://nnin.unm.edu/lesson13.pdf New Mexico lesson plans]

[http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsolardat.uoregon.edu%2Fdownload%2FLessons%2FExperiments_with_PV_Cells.doc&ei=fsc_StfyDoLYsQPz74i7Dw&usg=AFQjCNFbSE6m47W0RIcmMelFydA6Qw9IAA&sig2=Zht50piguJ2P99houu-cMQ More high school lesson plans]


[http://www.instructables.com/id/My-home-made-solar-cell-1/  Instructables version]


=== Source for materials ===


[http://ice.chem.wisc.edu/Catalog.html Institute for Chemical Education - Nanocyrstaline Solar Cell Kit]