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A review of textile dye-sensitized solar cells for wearable electronics

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Abstract

Over the last few decades, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have gained much consideration. Consequently, textile DSSCs are being looked at for their sustainability, flexibility, pliability, and lightweight properties, as well as the possibility of using large-scale industrial manufacturing methods (e.g., weaving and screen printing). These are important features in fabricating not only wearable electronic devices, but also for the large-scale harnessing of solar power from canopies, sunshades, greenhouses, covers, and other applications. Textile DSSCs are mainly of two types, i.e., yarn-type and planar-type. Electrodes in the shape of yarn or wires can be produced by coating and depositing active material onto polymeric or metallic fibers, yarns, or wires. By intertwining or twisting two yarns, namely the photo-electrode (PE) and counter-electrode (CE), a yarn-type DSSC can be formed. Instead, planar-type DSSCs can be produced by interlacing photovoltaic yarns through standard textile manufacturing processes. Alternatively, planar-type DSSCs can be produced by applying conducting layers to the planar textile structure. This review presents a concise summary of various textile structures, materials, fabrication methods, and factors affecting the performance of these two types of textile DSSCs. This also provides the challenges and limitations of each method, thus highlighting areas for potential future work.

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Abbreviations

1D:

one-dimensional

3D:

three-dimensional

BSA:

bovine serum albumin

CE:

counter-electrode

CL:

compact layer

CPE:

constant phase element

CS-CNTs:

core-sheath carbon nanotubes

CVD:

chemical vapor deposition

DSSC:

dye-sensitized solar cell

E-MWCNTs:

enzyme-dispersed multiwall carbon nanotubes

FF:

fill factor

FDSSC:

flexible dye-sensitized solar cell

FTO:

fluorine-doped SnO2

GCF:

graphene-coated fabric

GON:

graphene oxide nanosheet

ITO:

indium-doped SnO2

J sc :

short-circuit current density

MR:

microridge

MWCNTs:

multiwalled carbon nanotubes

NC:

nanocrystalline

NPs:

nanoparticles

NRs:

nanorods

NTs:

nanotubes

NSs:

nanosheets

NWs:

nanowires

PCE:

power conversion efficiency

PE:

photoelectrode

PET:

polyethylene terephthalate

PU:

poly(urethane)

PV:

photovoltaic

R 1 :

charge transfer resistance at the CE/electrolyte interface

R 2 :

charge transfer resistance at the PE/electrolyte interface

R s :

Ohmic resistance

SS:

stainless steel

TCO:

transparent conducting oxide

TMCA:

titanium micron-core array

V oc :

open-circuit voltage

V pp :

peak voltage separation

W s :

Warburg’s resistance related to the diffusion of the redox couple in the electrolyte

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the research and financial support received from the Post Graduate Institute of Science (PGIS University of Peradeniya) research grant (Grant No. PGIS/2020/05). This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No. 952169, project title: SYNERGY).

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  1. Department of Physics and Postgraduate Institute of Science, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, 20400, Sri Lanka

    Thennakoon Mudiyanselage Wijendra Jayalath Bandara & Jayamaha Mudalige Chandi Hansadi

  2. Electrochemistry Group, Department of Applied Science and Technology, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129, Torino, Italy

    Federico Bella

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  1. Thennakoon Mudiyanselage Wijendra Jayalath Bandara
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Correspondence to Thennakoon Mudiyanselage Wijendra Jayalath Bandara.

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Bandara, T.M.W.J., Hansadi, J.M.C. & Bella, F. A review of textile dye-sensitized solar cells for wearable electronics. Ionics 28, 2563–2583 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11581-022-04582-8

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