Materials Research Centre (MRC, Kiev, Ukraine) in cooperation with Drexel University (Drexel University, Philadelphia, USA) designed and produced the first in Ukraine active sample of dye-sensitized solar cell

Batteries of this type have a simple structure, they consist of two electrodes, electrolyte and organic dye as a photosensitizer. One of the electrodes consists of a nanosized dye-saturated titanium dioxide (TiO2), deposited on a transparent conductive substrate. Other electrode is transparent substrate covered with a thin transparent layer of conductive material (ITO, Pt, etc.). Such batteries are promising alternative source of energy, since they don't require expensive materials and sophisticated equipment for their producing unlike to the silicon solar cells.
Prototypes of these solar cells created using nanomaterials by technologies developed in the laboratories of the Materials Research Centre and Drexel University from a raw materials of Ukrainian production. Now our researchers are working on improving the properties of materials used for completing solar cells for further increasing their efficiency.
Photoelectochemical systems on the base of nanocrystal wide bandgap oxide semiconductors sensitized by different types of dyes have the great potential to become an economically and commercially avaible for conversion and using of solar energy. Advantages of the photoelectochemical cells over conventional solar cells are following: 1) they don’t need ultra-pure substances; 2) they consist of low-cost materials and they are produced by processes that have little environmental impact; 3) they achieve reasonable efficiencies which are expected to improve by systematic research. There is a flexibility in the choice of material for each component, allowing the properties to be adjusted and optimised for practical applications.