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© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

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A microfluidic solar cell with energy storage capability–the solar redox flow batteries (SRFB).

Abstract

The dye-sensitized solar cells microfluidically integrated with a redox flow battery (µDSSC-RFB) belong to a new emerging class of green energy sources with an inherent opportunity for energy storage. The successful engineering of microfluidically linked systems is, however, a challenging subject, as the hydrodynamics of electrolyte flow influences the electron and species transport in the system in several ways. In the article, we have analyzed the microflows hydrodynamics by means of the lattice-Boltzmann method, using the algebraic solution of the Navier-Stokes equation for a duct flow and experimentally by the micro particle image velocimetry method. Several prototypes of µDSSC were prepared and tested under different flow conditions. The efficiency of serpentine µDSSC raised from 2.8% for stationary conditions to 3.1% for electrolyte flow above 20 mL/h, while the fill factor increased about 13% and open-circuit voltage from an initial 0.715 V to 0.745 V. Although the hexagonal or circular configurations are the straightforward extensions of standard photo chambers of solar cells, those configurations are hydrodynamically less predictable and unfavorable due to large velocity gradients. The serpentine channel configuration with silver fingers would allow for the scaling of the µDSSC-RFB systems to the industrial scale without loss of performance. Furthermore, the deterioration of cell performance over time can be inhibited by the periodic sensitizer regeneration, which is the inherent advantage of µDSSC.

Details

Title
The Influence of Electrolyte Flow Hydrodynamics on the Performance of a Microfluidic Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell
Author
Szafran, Roman G 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Mikita Davykoza 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, ul. Norwida 4/6, 50-373 Wroclaw, Poland 
 KN Gambrinus, Faculty of Chemistry, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, ul. Norwida 4/6, 50-373 Wroclaw, Poland; [email protected] 
First page
12090
Publication year
2021
Publication date
2021
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
20763417
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2612736989
Copyright
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.