High-performance plastic dye-sensitized solar cells based on low-cost commercial P25 TiO2 and organic dye

Benefits and Biosafety of Use of 3D-Printing Technology for Titanium Biomedical Implants: A Pilot Study in the Rabbit Model

BACKGROUND

Titanium has been used in osteosynthesis for decades and its compatibility and safety is unquestioned. Studies have shown that there is release and collection of titanium in the organ systems with little note of toxicity. The gold standard is considered to be titanium osteosynthesis plate produced by milling methods. The use of customized titanium plates produced with 3D printing, specifically direct metal laser sintering, have found increasing use in recent years. It is unknown how much titanium is released in these printed titanium implants, which is known to be potentially porous, depending on the heat settings of the printer. We hypothesize that the amount of titanium released in printed titanium implants may be potentially more or equal compared to the gold standard, which is the implant produced by milling.

METHODS

We studied the biosafety of this technology and its products by measuring serum and organ titanium levels after implantation of 3D-printed versus traditionally fabrication titanium plates and screws in a pilot study using the rabbit model. A total of nine rabbits were used, with three each in the control, milled and printed titanium group. The animals were euthanized after six months. Serum and organs of the reticuloendothelial system were harvested, digested and assayed for titanium levels.

RESULTS

Organ and serum titanium levels were significantly higher in rabbit subjects implanted with titanium implants (milled and printed) compared to the control group. However, there was no significant difference in organ and serum titanium levels of subjects implanted with milled and traditionally fabricated titanium implants.

CONCLUSIONS

The biosafety of use of 3D-printed titanium implants and traditionally fabricated titanium implants are comparable. With this in mind, 3D-printed custom implants can not only replace, but will very possibly surpass traditionally fabricated titanium implants in the mode and extent of use.

Flexible Printed Monolithic-Structured Solid-State Dye Sensitized Solar Cells on Woven Glass Fibre Textile for Wearable Energy Harvesting Applications

Previously, textile dye sensitised solar cells (DSSCs) woven using photovoltaic (PV) yarns have been demonstrated but there are challenges in their implementation arising from the mechanical forces in the weaving process, evaporation of the liquid electrolyte and partially shaded cells area, which all reduce the performance of the cell. To overcome these problems, this paper proposes a novel fabrication process for a monolithic-structured solid-state dye sensitized solar cell (ssDSSC) on textile using all solution based processes. A glass fibre textile substrate was used as the target substrate for the printed ssDSSC that contain multiple layers of electrodes and active materials. The printed ssDSSC on textile have been successfully demonstrated and compared with a reference device made with the same processes on a glass substrate. All PV textile devices were characterized under simulated AM 1.5 conditions and a peak efficiency of 0.4% was achieved. This approach is potentially suitable for the low cost integration of PV devices onto high temperature textiles, but to widen the range of applications future research is required to reduce the processing temperature to enable the device to be fabricated on the standard fabric substrates.

Self-assembly of metal/semiconductor heterostructures via ligand engineering: unravelling the synergistic dual roles of metal nanocrystals toward plasmonic photoredox catalysis

Metal nanocrystals (NCs) have been recognized as an important class of nanomaterials by virtue of their unique surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect and pivotal roles as electron traps in photocatalysis. Nevertheless, it is still challenging to unambiguously unravel and simultaneously harness the dual synergistic roles of metal NCs in a single photocatalytic system for solar-to-chemical energy conversion. Herein, an efficient ligand-triggered electrostatic self-assembly strategy was developed to achieve the spontaneous and monodispersed attachment of Au NCs onto 1D WO₃ nanorods (NRs) via pronounced electrostatic attractive interaction, in which tailor-made positively charged Au NCs were closely integrated with negatively charged WO₃ NRs. The intimate integration of Au NCs with WO₃ NRs at the nanoscale could significantly benefit the extraction, separation, and migration of plasmon-induced energetic hot carriers over Au NCs and promote the separation of photogenerated charge carriers over the WO₃ substrate. Such a cooperative synergy stemming from SPR and the electron-withdrawal effects of the Au NCs resulted in distinctly enhanced photoredox catalytic performances for plasmonic photocatalysis under both simulated solar and visible light irradiation. Our study highlights the significance of utilizing a rational interface design between metal NCs and semiconductors for excavating the multifarious roles of metal NCs in substantial solar energy conversion.

In Situ Growth of Highly Adhesive Surface Layer on Titanium Foil as Durable Counter Electrodes for Efficient Dye-sensitized Solar Cells

Counter electrodes (CEs) of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) are usually fabricated by depositing catalytic materials on substrates. The poor adhesion of the catalytic material to the substrate often results in the exfoliation of catalytic materials, and then the deterioration of cell performance or even the failure of DSCs. In this study, a highly adhesive surface layer is in situ grown on the titanium foil via a facile process and applied as CEs for DSCs. The DSCs applying such CEs demonstrate decent power conversion efficiencies, 6.26% and 4.37% for rigid and flexible devices, respectively. The adhesion of the surface layer to the metal substrate is so strong that the photovoltaic performance of the devices is well retained even after the CEs are bended for 20 cycles and torn twice with adhesive tape. The results reported here indicate that the in situ growth of highly adhesive surface layers on metal substrate is a promising way to prepare durable CEs for efficient DSCs.

Organic-free Anatase TiO₂ Paste for Efficient Plastic Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells and Low Temperature Processed Perovskite Solar Cells

Recently, the synthesis of fine TiO2 paste with organic-free binder emerged as an indispensable technique for plastic photovoltaics due to the low temperature processing requirement. In this study, pure anatase TiO2 nanoparticles and organic-free TiO2-sol were successfully synthesized individually in organic-free solution. By mixing the pure anatase TiO2 with the newly developed TiO2-sol binder, mechanically robust and well-interconnected TiO2 films were prepared via UV-irradiation at low temperature for applications in plastic dye-sensitized solar cells (p-DSSCs). The structural, electrical, and photovoltaic properties of the films as well as the devices were investigated by various techniques. The dye-loading amount of the obtained film is 2.6 times that of the P25 electrodes. As revealed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results, the film derived from the as-prepared anatase TiO2 paste (A-TiO2) exhibits much smaller charge transport resistance and lower electron recombination rate than the P25 film, while the introduction of TiO2-sol into the paste can further remarkably decrease the resistance of the produced film (AS-TiO2). The p-DSSCs employing AS-TiO2 photoanode yield a high efficiency up to 7.51%, which is 86% higher than the P25 reference cells and also 31% higher than the A-TiO2 cell. As a proof of concept, the newly developed AS-TiO2 paste was also applied to low temperature processed perovskite solar cells (PSCs), and a promising high efficiency up to 9.95% was achieved.

Vertical ultrathin MoS2 nanosheets on a flexible substrate as an efficient counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells

Vertical MoS2 nanosheets with both large specific surface areas and sharp, active edges are strongly desirable due to their potential applications as catalysts, sensors and field emitters. Nevertheless, the growth of vertical MoS2 nanosheets is still a challenge and has rarely been reported. In this contribution, vertical ultrathin MoS2 nanosheets were grown on diverse substrates via a facile chemical vapor deposition method using CS2 as the sulfur precursor. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first time that CS2 has been applied as the sulfur source for the CVD growth of MoS2. In comparison with sulfur powder, the conventional sulfur source, CS2, can be imported in the growth chamber by a carrying gas, which provides considerable convenience for controlling growth parameters. Vertical MoS2 nanosheets presented a comparable catalytic activity to Pt on triiodide reduction and were used as efficient counter electrodes in dye-sensitized solar cells.

Two-step electrochemical synthesis of polypyrrole/reduced graphene oxide composites as efficient Pt-free counter electrode for plastic dye-sensitized solar cells

Polypyrrole/reduced graphene oxide (PPy/RGO) composites on the rigid and plastic conducting substrates were fabricated via a facile two-step electrochemical process at low temperature. The polypyrrole/graphene oxide (PPy/GO) composites were first prepared on the substrate with electrochemical polymerization method, and the PPy/RGO composites were subsequently obtained by electrochemically reducing the PPy/GO. The resultant PPy/GO and PPy/RGO composites were porous, in contrast to the dense and flat pristine PPy films. The cyclic voltammetry measurement revealed that resultant composites exhibited a superior catalytic performance for triiodide reduction in the order of PPy/RGO > PPy/GO > PPy. The catalytic activity of PPy/RGO was comparable to that of Pt counter electrode (CE). Under the optimal conditions, an energy conversion efficiency of 6.45% was obtained for a rigid PPy/RGO-based dye-sensitized solar cell, which is 90% of that for a thermally deposited Pt-based device (7.14%). A plastic counter electrode was fabricated by depositing PPy/RGO composites on the plastic ITO/PEN substrate, and then an all-plastic device was assembled and exhibited an energy conversion efficiency of 4.25%, comparable to that of the counterpart using a sputtered-Pt CE (4.83%) on a plastic substrate. These results demonstrated that electrochemical synthesis is a facile low-temperature method to fabricate high-performance RGO/polymer composite-based CEs for plastic DSCs.

Flexible, transferable, and thermal-durable dye-sensitized solar cell photoanode consisting of TiO₂ nanoparticles and electrospun TiO₂/SiO₂ nanofibers

Flexible dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) often face the dilemma of the high temperature sintering of TiO2 photoanode to achieve superior performance and low thermal durability of the flexible substrate. Herein, we report a photoanode that combines the flexibility and high-temperature durability, which circumvents the long-standing challenge in flexible photoanode of DSSC. A hybrid mat consisting of anatase-phased TiO2 nanofibers and structurally amorphous SiO2 nanofibers is first prepared via the method of dual-spinneret electrospinning followed by pyrolysis. The hybrid fibrous mat is then impregnated with binder-free TiO2 nanoparticles and sintered at 480 °C to form a flexible composite photoanode for DSSC. The DSSC based on this composite photoanode achieves a power conversion efficiency of 6.74 ± 0.33% on FTO/glass substrate. Device characterization and phototransient measurement, dye-loading experiment, and structural characterization indicate that, in the composite photoanode, the TiO2 nanoparticles enhance the dye loading, the TiO2 nanofibers improve the electron transport, and the SiO2 nanofibers provide the mechanical strength/flexibility. The freestanding composite mat of TiO2 nanoparticles and electrospun TiO2/SiO2 nanofibers, as well as the preparation methods reported herein, not only is ideal for flexible DSSCs, but also can be applied for a broad range of flexible and low-cost energy conversion devices.

Facile one-step synthesis of highly branched ZnO nanostructures on titanium foil for flexible dye-sensitized solar cells

Highly branched ZnO (HBZ) nanostructures were prepared on titanium (Ti) foil using a facile, one-step vapor confined chemical vapor deposition technique. The as-prepared ZnO layer showed a good connection with the Ti foil even after 50 bending cycles, and the resultant HBZ/Ti electrode possessed high bendability. The HBZ/Ti electrode was composed of four different layers, including a highly branched ZnO layer, a ZnO compact layer, a Ti-Zn alloy layer and Ti foil. The good adhesion of the as-prepared ZnO layer to Ti foil was ascribed to the formation of a Ti-Zn alloy layer and a ZnO compact layer during the growth process. A flexible dye-sensitized solar cell was assembled using the D149-sensitized HBZ/Ti as a photoanode, and a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 3.3% was achieved with an open-circuit photovoltage of 0.664 V, a short-circuit current density of 7.53 mA cm(-2), and a fill factor of 0.66 measured under rear-side illumination (AM 1.5, 100 mW cm(-2)). The power conversion efficiency of the device remained at 92% of the initial value even after 50 bending cycles. These results indicate that the vapor confined chemical vapor deposition method which does not necessarily use any catalyst or seed is a facile, one-step approach to obtain highly branched ZnO nanostructures with high bendability on Ti foil. The tight bonding between the highly branched ZnO layer and Ti substrate by a Ti-Zn alloy layer and a ZnO compact layer makes the vapor confined CVD method very attractive for the preparation of high-performance flexible photoanodes.

Facile synthesis of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) film via solid-state polymerization as high-performance Pt-free counter electrodes for plastic dye-sensitized solar cells

A high-performance Pt-free counter electrode (CE) based on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) film for plastic dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) has been developed via a facile solid-state polymerization (SSP) approach. The polymerization was simply initiated by sintering the monomer, 2,5-dibromo-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (DBEDOT), at the temperature of 80 °C, which can be applied on the plastic substrate. The cyclic voltammetry measurements revealed that the catalytic activity of the SSP-PEDOT CE for triiodide reduction is comparable with that of the Pt CE. Under optimized conditions, the power conversion efficiency of a DSC with a N719-sensitized TiO2 photoanode and the SSP-PEDOT CE is 7.04% measured under standard 1 sun illumination (100 mW cm(-2), AM 1.5), which is very close to that of the device fabricated under the same conditions with a conventional thermally deposited Pt CE (7.35%). Furthermore, taking advantage of the compatibility of the SSP-PEDOT with the plastic substrates, a full plastic N719-sensitized TiO2 solar cell was demonstrated, and an efficiency of 4.65% was achieved, which is comparable with the performance of a plastic DSC with a sputter-deposited Pt CE (5.38%). These results demonstrated that solid-state polymerization initiated at low temperature is a facile and low-cost method of fabricating the high-performance Pt-free CEs for plastic DSCs.

Facile fabrication of co-sensitized plastic dye-sensitized solar cells using multiple electrophoretic deposition

We present the proof of concept of a new method for the rapid fabrication of co-sensitized plastic dye sensitized solar cells with dyes arranged in discrete layers. Using D131 and SQ2 in the devices, the layered method gives an efficiency of 4.1% on plastic substrates. This is a significant improvement over cocktail devices which give only an efficiency of 3.3%.