Aerosol OT/Water System Coupled with Triiodide/Iodide (I3−/I−) Redox Electrolytes for Highly Efficient Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSCs) are considered to be a promising alternative to Si‐based photovoltaic cells. The electrolyte of the DSC primarily uses triiodide/iodide (I3−/I−) as a redox couple. Therefore, it is essential to understand the regeneration and recombination kinetics of the I3−/I− redox couples in the device. In this context, controlling the total and local concentrations of the I3−/I− redox couples is an important parameter that can influence the DSC performance. Here, we propose that the introduction of a sodium bis (2‐ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT)/water system to the I3−/I− electrolyte enables the control of the concentration of the redox couples, which consequently achieves a high power conversion efficiency of ∼11% for ∼1000 h (under 1 sun illumination) owing to the enhanced dye‐regeneration efficiency and the reduced recombination rate. This novel concept assists in the comprehension of the regeneration and recombination kinetics and develops highly efficient DSCs. Surfactant and water system: The introduction of an aerosol OT (AOT)/water system to the I3−/I− electrolyte enables the control of the concentration of the redox couples through the hydrogen‐bonding association between the AOT and the carboxy group of the dye, which consequently achieves a high power conversion efficiency of ∼11% (under 1 sun illumination) owing to the enhanced dye‐regeneration efficiency and the reduced recombination rate