Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Syntheses And Characterizations Of Unsymmetrical Porphyrins As Photosensitizers For A Solid-State Solar Cell, Yinping Zhao

Dissertations and Theses

Solar light is the most important source of regenerative energy and represents mankind's only inexhaustible energy source. One of today's most promising tools to make use of solar energy is its direct conversion into electrical energy in a photovoltaic cell. The practical use of these solar cells depends on the price of the devices and therefore of the obtained energy. The conventional silicon cells, although efficient, are expensive for common consumer applications. The Grätzel cell is a photovoltaic system for harvesting the sun's energy that operates at about 10-15% overall efficiency, like a conventional solar cell, but does it at …