Effects of sodium dodecyl sulfate as a co-adsorbate on the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells

As a surface modifier, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), was applied to dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), and its effects on the photovoltaic performance of the solar cells were investigated. When the SDS was co-adsorbed with dye (N719) onto TiO₂ surface, the DSSCs with SDS showed an increase in short-circuit current (J_sc), open-circuit voltage (V_oc) and fill factor, leading to a considerable improvement of over 23% in power conversion efficiency, compared to the reference cell without SDS. Incorporation of SDS on TiO₂ surface induced longer lifetime of electrons injected from excited dyes to conduction band of TiO₂, leading to an increase in the electron collection efficiency and thus an enhancement in J_sc. The longer lifetime by a suppression of the interfacial charge recombination could also contribute to an increment in V_oc.