Project Overview

As a project for Engineering 103 Design Lab we are a team experimenting to optimize dye-sensitized solar cells. Solar cells are commonly seen in solar panels to the everyday person.  As research continues in making the individual cells of solar panels more efficient there is a constant struggle between energy efficiency and the cost of producing the solar cell.  As a team, over the course of 10 weeks we will be researching different dyes(key component of solar cell) and choosing 1 with a higher efficiency than cells commonly used today that do not have optimal efficiency.  Organic berry dyes have been thoroughly researched already.  Therefore we will be making berry cells and using them as a baseline when comparing berry dyes and chemical dyes.

It is a general consensus that as a planet we demand an extremely high amount of energy supply.  We are currently using dirty fossil fuels as our main source for electricity, which consequently has extremely negative affects for the planet and human health.  In present time there is not a prominent amount of importance directed towards making solar energy the main source of electricity for the world.  However, as students currently learning that with enough research and experimentation, it is possible to make solar energy efficient enough to supply the world demand.  Through using dye sensitized solar cells, with the right combination of dye and method of manufacturing the cell this will be possible.

Therefore, we as a group will pick one dye to experiment with that are within our cost range, contact companies that manufacture these dyes, and get a small sample of them to use for testing in our lab.  After making solar cells with different dyes and testing different processes of making the cells we will test their energy efficiencies and compare them to the current progress of solar cell efficiencies that have already been done by other scientists.  The goal is that in this project we will come to a conclusion to continue progress in making solar cells a way to supply the worlds energy demand.

Background

As the technology continues to develop, people are pursuing renewable energy sources to satisfy the need of human growth. According to scientific research, the sun provides 1TW solar power to the earth which makes solar power the potential direction for the solving energy problem. Our project is to develop  energy efficient dye solar cells for analysis and comparison to the conventional photovoltaic silicon cell. The main technical challenges are be the process of preparation and the dye selection to make cell with different properties. The major task is to find the appropriate dye substance that could produce a high efficiency dye-synthesized solar cell. The dye solar cell benefits, in general low manufacturing costs, will be compared to those of the photovoltaic silicon cell.

Weekly Progress

Week 1: Project team came up with goals wanted to accomplish with improving cell and wrote a draft of a project proposal to receive feedback from.

Week 2: Edited and finalized project proposal, which includes all activities we will be doing over the course of the term.

Week 3: We obtained a solar cell kit, researched dyes, and began familiarizing ourselves with materials.

Week 4: The titanium dioxide paste was made in the lab.  We continued to research dye to possibly get for the experiment. We obtained blueberries and raspberries for the use of dyes in cells.

Week 5: We finalized and a ordered dye, Coumarin 6, for the experiment from a chemical company online.

Week 6: We received the coumarin dye and started making the solar cell. We had various trials and errors with making various TiO2 pastes. One version of paste cracked and another version of a paste stayed smooth.

Week 7: We made a TiO2 paste with a thick consistency and a paste with a thinner consistency.  With each type of paste, we made cells using blueberry dye and blackberry dye.  We then recorded our observations and collected various types of data to make conclusions from.

Week 8: We made cells using coumarin 6 dye and collected the same data as we did when making the cells with berry dye.  We then compared the results amongst the different cells.

Week 9: We made our final conclusions from our results.  We wrote the final report and created a presentation to present in week 10.  We rehearsed the presentation.

Week 10: Submitted the final report, and presented our complete led researched project.

Tutorials/ Pictures

Learn How to Make a Solar Cell

Our Project Materials

Conductive Glass

Heat Lamp

Lux Meter

Titanium Dioxide

Load

Iodide Electrolyte Solution

Copper Wire

Graphite Pencil

Solar Panel

Clips

Dye Bottle

Voltmeter

FAQ

Q: What is a solar cell?
A: A device that converts solar energy to electricity.

Q: Why use solar energy?
A: It is a renewable source of energy that is not a dirty fossil fuel and it better for the environment.

Q: Why is solar energy not already your main solar of electricity?
A: Currently finding a way to make a solar cell that supplies enough energy for the planet while remaining cost efficient has been a struggle.  With further experimentation to find the best method to create a cell that will do this is the ultimate goal of this project and many others like it.

Q: How will the project goals be completed in 10 weeks?

A: We have created a project timeline, where over the course of 10 weeks we will complete specific tasks to achieve our project goals, as shown below. These weekly goals are not concrete, but more so to make the project flow smoothly.

	Week
Task	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Form group, choose project, write a project proposal, and create a website	x
Research, pick dyes, input information to website(progress, research, goals, decisions, uncertainties, etc.) , finalize design proposal		x
Get certified in lab safety record research and update the website.			x
Get into laboratory work, experimental dye solar cell, record discoveries in the website.				x	x	x
Finish lab work, record findings, write draft for final report						x	x
Analyse data, make conclusions, gather all component for final report								x
Write final report, complete any final goals set on the project and website, and discuss and complete what is necessary to be done in the presentation.									x
Present Project and all deliverables										x

Biographies

Amy Gandhi
Group Member
aag86@drexel.edu

I am a first year civil engineering student at Drexel University. I am interested in sustainability and that is what got my interest in working on a project to optimize dye-sensitized solar cells.

Jiaang Hu

Group Member

jh3262@drexel.edu

I am a material science student at Drexel University and I am interested materials related to electricity.

Carlos Pigotti

Group Member

cap363@drexel.edu

I'm Carlos Pigotti an International Student from Venezuela, I'm twenty years old and have been studying in America for about four years. I'm currently pursuing my bachelors degree in Biomedical Engineering (Cells and Tissue Engineering) in Drexel University.

Diego Rossi
Group Member
dr577@drexel.edu

 I was raised in Puerto Rico in a family of mellow engineers.  My father is civil, my big brother is mechanical, and my mother and big sister are chemical engineers.   We all together enjoy and appreciate the virtues of the tropical life in Puerto Rico.   Our pastimes include activities like boating, diving, and going to the beach to relax.   Due to our love for Puerto Rico's climate we try to be as environmentally friendly as possible.  We have solar panels in the roof that produce 1/3 of the energy consumed in the house. This includes charging for my father's electric car that takes up a substantial amount of the energy.   Besides the solar panels, the roof is full of herbs and vegetables we grow in soil beds and hydroponically.   Personally, my area of most interest is in the renewable energy sector and that is why I chose Environmental Engineering as my major.  I believe solar panels are slick and have potential to do great impact in energy production of the world.  

Christopher Weyant
Faculty Advisor
Department of Materials Science and Engineering 
Email:chrisweyant@drexel.edu