Temperature dependence of open-circuit voltage in dye-sensitized solar cells

Temperature, T, dependence of open-circuit voltage, Voc, was investigated in home-assembled and maker-trial dye-sensitized solar cells, which had wide variety in Voc, i.e. 600–800 mV. A linear decrease of Voc was observed with increasing T; all these cells had a slope of about −2.5 mV/°C, irrespective of the Vocs in the STC. The mechanism of the T dependence of Voc was discussed with the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, EIS. Analyses of EIS data with a newly derived model revealed that this dependence is primarily ascribed to a shift of the TiO2 conduction band.