Analysis of dye-sensitized solar cells with current collecting electrodes using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, with a finite element method

Abstract The internal resistances of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) with and without current collecting electrodes (CCEs) were analyzed using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) with a finite element method (FEM). Three different DSC models with or without current collecting electrodes were designed. Theoretical values of the internal resistance were estimated by FEM on changing the position and size of the current collecting electrodes. Large DSCs with current collecting electrodes were fabricated using a screen-printing technique, and experimental values of the internal resistance were analyzed by EIS and compared with the theoretical values. The internal resistances obtained from the impedance measurements were in good agreement with those obtained by simulation. The internal resistance was found to decrease with increasing width and thickness of the CCEs, below a threshold value. EIS was found to be extremely useful for evaluating CCE design for improved DSCs.