The influence of bilateral environment of dyed-TiO2/electrolyte interface on detailed recombination process during the “mature” period of sensitized solar cell

Abstract The complete dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) life cycle includes three stages: “mature” period, stability period and degradation period. However, during the DSC performance adjustment period, considering the influence of both sides of the dyed-TiO2/electrolyte interface on the electronic recombination process is still blank. In this paper, the effects of the environment on both sides of the interface between TiO2 and electrolyte during the DSC performance adjustment on the electron recombination process are studied. The results show that the performance adjustment of DSC is greatly influenced by the chemical environment of electrolyte. The film microstructures have a certain influence on the electronic recombination process during the performance adjustment. During the performance adjustment period of DSC, the adjustment of quasi-Fermi level is more complicated under the condition of weak light than under the condition of strong light. The work conducted herein is significant for studying the performance adjustment of internal complex systems of DSC, for understanding the cell working mechanism and improving the cell efficiency.