Download Dye sensitized solar cell activity

SOLAR ACTIVITIES: MEMO ASSIGNMENT AT THE END OF THE FILE
Build your own solar Cell
Lab Activity
Goal of Activity: In this lab activity students will build a dye sensitized solar cell.
Safety Precautions. Read MSDS for all materials in advance. Wear appropriate PPE (safety glasses,
aprons, gloves) DO NOT WEAR GLOVES OUT OF LAB. Transport Panel in petri dish and take a fresh pair
of gloves to be removed before going inside. KEEP ETHANOL,tape, plastic petri dishes AWAY FROM HOT
SRUFACES. Do not get chemicals on skin or in eyes. Be careful not to burn yourself. Report broken glass
or any concerns immediately.
Supplies (will be provided):
PER DAY. NEED TO REPLICATE TUESDAY AND THURSDAY
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Gloves
First Aid kit
Paper towels
Aprons/lab coats
Safety glasses: ideally regular and over the glasses
Multimeter with leads
Hot Plate
ITO Glass Slides (2 per group)
Plain Glass Slides 1 per group (1 per group)
Disposable droppers (3 per group)
Vial with 0.5 g TiO2 nanopowder/group (1 per group)
Vial with 5 ml of Acetic Acid solution (1 molar acetic acid to which 1-2 drops liquid dish soap per
100 ml of solution has been added) (1 per group)
Vial with Crushed Raspberries (1 per group) prepare by blending frozen raspberries with equal
volume of H2O
Vial with 1-2 ml of lugols solution (1 per group)
Petrie Dish (1 per group)
Tweezers (1 per group)
Kim wipes
Squirt bottle of DI water (1 per group)
Squirt bottle ethanol (1 per group)
Waste container (500 ml plastic beaker)
Glass rods (3 per group)
Scotch tape (1 per group)
Binder clips (2 per group)
Paper and Pencil
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25. Candles
26. Matches or lighter
Procedure:
1. Put on Safety Equipment: 5 min
2. Coating of Slide with TiO2 : 10 min
a. PART OF GROUP
i. Clean slide by squirting with water and then Ethanol. Dry with Kimwipe. Do not
touch surface of slide with bare hands.
ii. Determine which side is the conductive side of the glass by touching each side
with the probes from the meter. The conducting side will have a readable
resistance the non-conductive slide will have no reading.
iii. Place the slide on the counter with the conducting side up. The slide should be
oriented such that the long edges are perpendicular to the counter edge. Tape
the slide down on three sides, both long edges and the short edge further from
the counter edge. On the short edge the tape should cover ~1/4” of the slide
while on the long edges it should cover 1/8” or less.
b. PART OF GROUP
i. Open the vial containing the TiO2 and the vial with the acetic acid solution, and
using a dropper slowly add 30 drops of the acetic acid solution to the TiO2.
ii. Using the glass stir rod mix the TiO2 and acetic acid solution into a smooth paste.
iii. Carefully remove as much of the paste as possible using the glass rod and place
it on the slide toward the taped off end.
iv. Using the rod as a scraper smear the paste over the slide in a uniform coating.
v. Gently remove the tape from the glass and place the TiO2 coated glass on top of
the Plain glass slide in your kit, TiO2 coating UP. Let the TA Place the two slides
on the hot plate, CAUTION THE SURFACE OF THE PLATE IS ~350 °C IT WILL BURN
YOU IF YOU TOUCH IT. BE CAREFUL.
c. Record the time the slide was placed on the hot plate. It should be removed to cool in
20 min.
d. ONCE YOUR SLIDE IS ON THE HOTPLATE DO THE SOLAR PANEL ACTIVITY (COME BACK
TO LAB in 20 Min or less)
3. Sensitization (15 min)
a. Shake and then open the vial containing the fruit juice and pour the contents into the
bottom of the petri dish.
b. Carefully place the TiO2 coated slide, coating side down, on top of the fruit juice. It
should float allowing you to see the coating.
c. After 10 min remove the slide, using the tweezers provided and wash carefully with DI
water and ethanol to remove residual fruit pulp.
d. Carefully blot dry with Kimwipes.
4. Preparation of counter electrode - While slide is soaking in fruit juice.
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a. Take second piece of ITO glass, wash it and determine which side is conductive.
b. TAS will Light the candle and using the tweezers provided pass the glass coated side
down through the flame. Use multiple passes to build up a soot layer that covers most
of the slide. Leave ~1/4 in at one end of the slide uncoated.
c. Place the slide coated side up on counter until required in next step.
5. Assembly (5 min)
a. Place the TiO2 coated slide coating side up on the edge of the counter.
b. Place one or two drops of the Lugol on the coating.
c. Immediately place the soot coated slide, coating side down on top of the TIO2 coated
slide and clamp along the long edges.
d. Be sure that the uncoated ends of each slide are at opposite ends of the assembly and
stick out from the assembly.
6. Testing (15 min)
a. Take panel outside in the front of Ross Hall (if sunny) DO NOT WEAR GLOVES OUT OF
LAB. Transport Panel in petri dish and take a fresh pair of gloves to be removed before
going inside.
b. Attach leads from multimeter.
c. Place the cell under a bright light or take it outside, sun is shining.
d. Record the maximum Amps and Voltage you obtain from the cell. (You will need to use
the micro or milli and volt scale.
7. Clean up (5 min)
DATA:
Light Source:
Max Current
Max Voltage
Power
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