| 1. |
- Bandara, T M W J, 1968, et al.
(author)
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Conductivity behaviour in novel quasi-solid-state electrolyte based on polyacrylonitrile and tetrahexylammonium iodide intended for dye sensitized solar cells
- 2013
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In: Journal of the National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka. - : Sri Lanka Journals Online (JOL). - 1391-4588 .- 2362-0161. ; 41:3, s. 175-184
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The conduction of iodide ions in gel polymer electrolytes and the performance of dye sensitized solar cells containing such an electrolyte can be enhanced by incorporating a salt having a bulky cation. In this work, polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and Hex(4)N(+)I(-) based gel electrolytes with ethylene carbonate and propylene carbonate as plasticizers have been studied. The variation of conductivity and molar conductivity with salt concentration has been discussed in order to understand the mechanism of iodide ion conductivity in this system. Out of the various compositions studied, the electrolyte containing 120 % salt with respect to weight of PAN showed the highest conductivity, 2.0 X 10(-3) Scm(-1) at 25 degrees C and a glass transition at - 102.3 degrees C. The electrolytes exhibit predominantly ionic behaviour and because of the bulky cation a negligible cationic transport is shown. A quasi-solid-state dye sensitized solar cell was fabricated employing the optimized gel electrolyte. This cell showed an energy conversion efficiency of 3.1 % and a short circuit current density of 8.1 mAcm(-2) under irradiation of 1000 Wm(-2).
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| 2. |
- Bandara, T M W J, 1968, et al.
(author)
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Tetrahexylammonium iodide containing solid and gel polymer electrolytes for dye sensitized solar cells
- 2012
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In: Energy Procedia. - : Elsevier BV. - 1876-6102. ; 14, s. 1607-1612
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The performance evaluation plays a more and more important role in the modern enterprise management, and the method of evaluation system on enterprise performance is always an important question in the theory and practice. So this paper set up a scientific, reasonable performance evaluation index system which was especially suitable for the small and medium third party logistics enterprise from the four levels of financial, customers, business and innovation. Meanwhile, according to the index system, it gave a performance evaluation with the Chinese access logistics corporation. The results showed that the construction of the index system was reasonable, and the evaluation results also were reliable.
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| 3. |
- Bandara, T M W J, 1968, et al.
(author)
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A polymer electrolyte containing ionic liquid for possible applications in photoelectrochemical solar cells
- 2010
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In: Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1432-8488 .- 1433-0768. ; 14:7, s. 1221-1226
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Various iodide ion conducting polymer electrolytes have been studied as candidate materials for fabricating photoelectrochemical (PEC) solar cells and energy storage devices. In this study, enhanced ionic conductivity values were obtained for the ionic liquid tetrahexylammonium iodide containing polyethylene oxide (PEO)-based plasticized electrolytes. The analysis of thermal properties revealed the existence of two phases in the electrolyte, and the conductivity measurements showed a marked conductivity enhancement during the melting of the plasticizer-rich phase of the electrolyte. Annealed electrolyte samples showed better conductivity than nonannealed samples, revealing the existence of hysteresis. The optimum conductivity was shown for the electrolytes with PEO:salt= 100:15 mass ratio, and this sample exhibited the minimum glass transition temperature of 72.2 °C. For this optimum PEO to salt ratio, the conductivity of nonannealed electrolyte was 4.4×10−4 S cm−1 and that of the annealed sample was 4.6×10−4 S cm−1 at 30 °C. An all solid PEC solar cell was fabricated using this annealed electrolyte. The short circuit current density (ISC), the open circuit voltage (VOC), and the power conversion efficiency of the cell are 0.63 mA cm−2, 0.76 V, and 0.47% under the irradiation of 600 W m−2 light.
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| 4. |
- Bandara, T M W J, 1968, et al.
(author)
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Dye-sensitized, nano-porous TiO2 solar cell with poly(acrylonitrile): MgI2 plasticized electrolyte
- 2010
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In: Journal of Power Sources. - : Elsevier BV. - 0378-7753. ; 195:11, s. 3730-3734
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Dye-sensitized solar cells are promising candidates as supplementary power sources; the dominance in the photovoltaic field of inorganic solid-state junction devices is in fact now being challenged by the third generation of solar cells based on dye-sensitized, nano-porous photo-electrodes and polymer electrolytes. Polymer electrolytes are actually very favorable for photo-electrochemical solar cells and in this study poly(acrylonitrile)–MgI2 based complexes are used. As ambient temperature conductivity of poly(acrylonitrile)–salt complexes are in general low, a conductivity enhancement is attained by blending with the plasticizers ethylene carbonate and propylene carbonate. At 20 °C the optimum ionic conductivity of 1.9 × 10−3 S cm−1 is obtained for the (PAN)10(MgI2)n(I2)n/10(EC)20(PC)20 electrolyte where n = 1.5. The predominantly ionic nature of the electrolyte is seen from the DC polarization data. Differential scanning calorimetric thermograms of electrolyte samples with different MgI2 concentrations were studied and glass transition temperatures were determined. Further, in this study, a dye-sensitized solar cell structure was fabricated with the configuration Glass/FTO/TiO2/Dye/Electrolyte/Pt/FTO/Glass and an overall energy conversion efficiency of 2.5% was achieved under solar irradiation of 600 W m−2. The I–V characteristics curves revealed that the short-circuit current, open-circuit voltage and fill factor of the cell are 3.87 mA, 659 mV and 59.0%, respectively.
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| 5. |
- Bandara, T M W J, 1968, et al.
(author)
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Dye sensitized solar cells with poly(acrylonitrile) based plasticized electrolyte containing Mgl(2)
- 2010
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In: Electrochimica Acta. - : Elsevier BV. - 0013-4686. ; 55:6, s. 2044-2047
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Polymer electrolytes can be used favorably in photo-electrochemical solar cells. A possible electrolyte for this purpose is a polyacrylonitrile-Mgl(2) complex with plasticizers such as ethylene carbonate and propylene carbonate The best ionic conductivity was obtained for samples containing 60 wt% of Mgl(2) salt with respect to the weight of polyacrylonitrile, for example, at 30 degrees C the conductivity is 1.9 x 10(-3) S cm(-1) The ionic contribution to the conductivity is dominant as shown by do polarization tests. Furthermore, the glass transition temperature showed a minimum, -103.0 degrees C. for the sample with the highest conductivity indicating the importance of polymer chain flexibility for the conduction process Measurements on a fabricated solar cell with this electrolyte exhibited an overall energy conversion efficiency of 0.84%. The short circuit current density, open circuit voltage and fill factor of the cell were 2 04 mA cm(-2), 692 mV and 59.3%, respectively.
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| 6. |
- Bandara, T M W J, 1968, et al.
(author)
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Effect of cation size on the performance of dye sensitized nanocrystalline TiO2 solar cells based on quasi-solid state PAN electrolytes containing quaternary ammonium iodides
- 2013
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In: Electrochimica Acta. - : Elsevier BV. - 0013-4686. ; 109, s. 609-616
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The performance of dye sensitized nanocrystalline TiO2 solar cells based on quasi-solid state PAN electrolytes containing a series of six quaternary ammonium iodide salts NH4I, Eth(4)NI, Prop(4)NI, But(4)NI, Pent(4)NI, Hex(4)NI with different cation sizes has been evaluated. Even though the total ionic conductivity decreases with increasing cation size from NH4I to Hex(4)NI, the iodide ion conductivity in the electrolytes increases with cation size. The open circuit photovoltage (V-oc) of the dye sensitized solar cells also increases with cation radius. The efficiency of the DSSCs varies with cation size and exhibits a maximum for Prop(4)NI salt. The short circuit photo current density (J(sc)) follows a similar variation with cation size, suggesting a strong correlation between the cation size dependence of efficiency and J(sc). The DSSC fabricated with tetrapropylammonium iodide exhibited the maximum efficiency of 4.30% with maximum J(sc) of 10.78 mA cm(-2) and a V-oc of 0.746 V. The results have been interpreted on the basis of "the electrolyte effects" where J(sc) is determined essentially by the iodide ion conductivity and "the electrode effects" where the J(sc) and V-oc are determined by the cation adsorption in the dyed TiO2 electrode and resulting electron dynamics at the semiconductor/electrolyte interface. For DSSCs with small cations, electrolyte effects appear to be dominating and rate determining while for DSSCs with larger cations, electrode effects appear to be dominating and rate determining. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| 7. |
- Bandara, T M W J, 1968, et al.
(author)
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Efficiency enhancement in dye sensitized solar cells using gel polymer electrolytes based on a tetrahexylammonium iodide and MgI2 binary iodide system
- 2012
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In: Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 1463-9076 .- 1463-9084. ; 14:24, s. 8620-8627
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells have drawn the attention of scientists and technologists as a potential candidate to supplement future energy needs. The conduction of iodide ions in quasi-solid-state polymer electrolytes and the performance of dye sensitized solar cells containing such electrolytes can be enhanced by incorporating iodides having appropriate cations. Gel-type electrolytes, based on PAN host polymers and mixture of salts tetrahexylammonium iodide (Hex(4)N(+)I(-)) and MgI2, were prepared by incorporating ethylene carbonate and propylene carbonate as plasticizers. The salt composition in the binary mixture was varied in order to optimize the performance of solar cells. The electrolyte containing 120% Hex(4)N(+)I(-) with respect to weight of PAN and without MgI2 showed the highest conductivity out of the compositions studied, 2.5 x 10(-3) S cm(-1) at 25 degrees C, and a glass transition at -102.4 degrees C. However, the electrolyte containing 100% Hex(4)N(+)I(-) and 20% MgI2 showed the best solar cell performance highlighting the influence of the cation on the performance of the cell. The predominantly ionic behaviour of the electrolytes was established from the dc polarization data and all the electrolytes exhibit iodide ion transport. Seven different solar cells were fabricated employing different electrolyte compositions. The best cell using the electrolyte with 100% Hex(4)N(+)I(-) and 20% MgI2 with respect to PAN weight showed 3.5% energy conversion efficiency and 8.6 mA cm(-2) short circuit current density.
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| 8. |
- Bandara, T M W J, 1968, et al.
(author)
-
Efficiency enhancement of dye-sensitized solar cells with PAN:CsI:LiI quasi-solid state (gel) electrolytes
- 2014
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In: Journal of Applied Electrochemistry. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1572-8838 .- 0021-891X. ; 44:8, s. 917-926
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- While many attempts have been made in the recent past to improve the power conversion efficiencies of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), only a few reports can be found on the study of these cells using binary iodides in the gel polymer electrolyte. This paper reports the effect of using a binary mixture of (large and small cation) alkaline salts, in particular CsI and LiI, on the efficiency enhancement in DSSCs with gel polymer electrolytes. The electrolyte with the binary mixture of CsI:LiI = 1:1 (by weight) shows the highest ionic conductivity 2.9 x 10(-3) S cm(-1) at 25 A degrees C. DC polarization measurements showed predominantly ionic behavior of the electrolyte. The density of charge carriers and mobility of mobile ions were calculated using a newly developed method. The temperature dependent behavior of the conductivity can be understood as due to an increase of both the density and mobility of charge carriers. The solar cell with only CsI as the iodide salt gave an energy conversion efficiency of similar to 3.9 % while it was similar to 3.6 % for the cell with only LiI. However, the electrolyte containing LiI:CsI with mass ratio 1:1 showed the highest solar cell performance with an energy conversion efficiency of similar to 4.8 % under the irradiation of one Sun highlighting the influence of the mixed cation on the performance of the cell. This is an efficiency enhancement of 23 %.
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| 9. |
- Bandara, T M W J, 1968, et al.
(author)
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Mobile charge carrier concentration and mobility of a polymer electrolyte containing PEO and Pr4N+I- using electrical and dielectric measurements
- 2011
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In: Solid State Ionics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0167-2738. ; 189:1, s. 63-68
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- For the characterization and development of new electrolytes it is important to know the number of free charge carriers and their mobility. A new method has been developed to estimate the charge carrier density, n, and mobility, mu, for an electrolyte using dielectric measurements and a space charge relaxation model. In order to verify the applicability of this method, it has been tested with an aqueous KI solution electrolyte. The method was then applied to a polyethylene oxide (PEO) based polymer electrolyte. In the case of the polymer electrolyte, plasticized and non plasticized electrolytes intended for photo-electrochemical solar cells containing Pr4N+I- salt which is an iodide ion conductor at room temperature was used. The significant conductivity increase that occurs during the PEO crystallite melting is shown to be due to a large and abrupt increase of the concentration of mobile charge carriers. It is also shown that, for the PEO above the crystallite melting temperature, the introduction of the plasticizer results in an increased mobility. Results from the solution electrolyte show good agreement with known values.
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| 10. |
- Bandara, T M W J, 1968, et al.
(author)
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Quasi solid state polymer electrolyte with binary iodide salts for photo-electrochemical solar cells
- 2014
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In: International Journal of Hydrogen Energy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0360-3199. ; 39:6, s. 2997-3004
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Quasi-solid-state polymer electrolytes can be used in dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) in order to overcome various problems associated with liquid electrolytes. Prior to fabricating commercially viable solar cells, the efficiency of quasi solid state DSSCs needs to be improved. Using electrolytes with a binary iodide mixture is a novel technique used to obtain such efficiency enhancement. In this work we report both conductivity and solar cell performance enhancements due to incorporation of a mixture containing LiI and tetrahexylammonium iodide in a quasi-solid-state electrolyte. The conductivity of the electrolyte increases with added amounts of Lit and thus the highest conductivity, 3.15 x 10(-3) S cm(-2) at 25 degrees C, is obtained for the electrolyte 100 wt% LiI. The predominantly ionic behavior of the electrolytes was established from dc polarization measurements. The iodide ion conductivity, measured using iodine pellet electrodes decreased somewhat with increasing amount of LiI even though the overall conductivity increased. However, the highest efficiency was obtained for the DSSC containing a polymer electrolyte with Hex(4)N(+)I:LiI = 1:2 mass ratio. This cell had the largest short circuit current density of about 13 mA cm(-2) and more than 4% overall energy conversion efficiency. The results thus show that electrolytes with Hex(4)N(+)I/LiI mixed iodide system show better DSSC performance than single iodide systems. Copyright (C) 2013, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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