US 9,805,878 B2Granted

Silicon dioxide solar cell

AssigneeInternational Business Machines Laboratory, Inc.

InventorsNobuaki Komatsu, Tomoko Ito, Hiroki Nagai

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Abstract

In order to increase the generation efficiency of a silicon dioxide solar cell, two conductive substrates are arranged so that the conductive surfaces thereof face each other, at least one of the substrates is disposed upon the substrate facing the light entry-side substrate, and an electrolyte is filled between the silicon dioxide particles compact and the light entry-side substrate. Silicon dioxide solar cells having this configuration exhibit a significantly increased short circuit current and open circuit voltage in comparison to solar cells in which the silicon dioxide and the electrolyte are mixed. This configuration can further be improved by disposing a titanium dioxide solar cell or a dye-sensitized titanium dioxide solar cell upon the light entry-side substrate to further increase the short circuit current and the open circuit voltage.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A silicon dioxide solar cell, comprising:

first and second substrates having electrical conductivity, the first substrate having a negative electrode, the second substrate having a positive electrode, respectively, the first and second substrates being arranged so that the negative and positive electrodes of the first and second substrates are facing each other, the first substrate being a transparent substrate on a light incident side to which a light is irradiated;
a layer made of silicon dioxide particles;
and
an electrolyte disposed between said first and second electrodes, wherein
said layer made of silicon dioxide particles is disposed at the positive electrode on a side of the second substrate,
a space between said layer made of silicon dioxide particles and said first substrate on the light incident side is filled with said electrolyte, and
the silicon dioxide solar cell is configured to generate electricity from the silicon dioxide particles in said layer made of silicon dioxide particles.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/175,602Filed 7 Jun 2016 · continuation
Priority: JP 2011-05460911 Mar 2011
Published: US 2016/0293340 A16 Oct 2016
Granted: 31 Oct 2017
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

H01G 9/2018
Characterised by the electrolyte, e.g. comprising an organic electrolyte: characterised by the ionic charge transport species, e.g. redox shuttles
H01G 9/2004
Light-sensitive devices: characterised by the electrolyte, e.g. comprising an organic electrolyte
H01G 9/2027
Light-sensitive devices: comprising an oxide semiconductor electrode
H01G 9/2031
Comprising an oxide semiconductor electrode: comprising titanium oxide, e.g. TiO2

Family

PCT/JP2012/056291Parent of this continuation · filed 12 Mar 2012
US 2016/0293340 A1Pre-grant publication · published 6 Oct 2016
Application14/004,283Parent of this continuation
US 9,384,902 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2014/0060630 A1Published application
US 9,805,878 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.