Solar power has become an established, cost-competitive means of green energy production that is currently competing with traditional fossil fuel technologies in the energy sector. The large-scale, worldwide production of solar energy, however, is nowhere close to the amount needed to match fossil fuels energy production. This is primarily due to issues with the efficiency, cost, and accessibility of photovoltaic materials. To this effect, new ways of making solar cells that are either more efficient and/or cost-effective are actively being sought. One attractive solution for providing accessible, low-cost, non-toxic solar energy around the world is by using Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs). These types of photovoltaics are extremely affordable and easy to manufacture; however, they suffer from lower efficiencies when compared to traditional photovoltaics. If the efficiency of DSSCs can be enhanced without significantly increasing their costs, the large-scale use of DSSCs worldwide can finally be realized. This research project focuses on making DSSCs more efficient by using Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) to increase the absorption of organic dyes on the DSSC surface. MOFs are porous materials that feature larger surface areas compared with traditional TiO<sub>2</sub> nanoparticles that are currently used in DSSC construction. The expansion of surface area provided by the MOF could allow more dye molecules to adsorb per unit area thereby increasing the amount of energy produced during sunlight irradiation. This research will specifically investigate the MOFs UiO-66-NH<sub>2</sub> and MIL-125(Ti) using degradable organic dyes (to make the DSSC more environmentally friendly) in an effort to increase DSSC efficiency.

Application of metal-organic frameworks on dye-sensitized solar cells

Fall 2022 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch in mid-September.

ACS Fall 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.