Concrete Embedded Dye-Synthesized Photovoltaic Solar Cell

This work presents the concept of a monolithic concrete-integrated dye-synthesized photovoltaic solar cell for optical-to-electrical energy conversion and on-site power generation. The transport measurements carried out in the dark revealed the presence of V-OC of similar to 190 mV and I-SC of similar to 9 mu A, induced by the electrochemical conversion of concrete-supplied ionic impurities at the electrodes. The current-voltage measurements performed under illumination at incident optical powers of similar to 46 mW confirmed the generation of electrical power of similar to 0.64 mu W with almost half generated via battery effect. This work presents a first step towards realizing the additional pathways to low-cost electrical power production in urban environments based on a combined use of organic dyes, nanotitania and concrete technology.