Integration of biological photonic crystals in dye-sensitized solar cells for enhanced photocurrent generation

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) rely on a network of titanium dioxide nanoparticles for electron transport and must balance carrier generation and collection. Adding photonic structures may increase light capture without affecting carrier collection. Diatoms are single-celled algae that biologically fabricate silicon dioxide cell walls which resemble photonic crystal slabs. We present a simple fabrication strategy that allows for uniform and controlled placement of biosilica within DSSCs. Integration of biosilica reduces photoanode transmittance to less than 5% prior to dye sensitization at loading levels as low as 6 wt% biosilica. Increased biosilica loading (17 wt%) provides additional enhancements in photocurrent generation. Reflectance measurements suggest that the enhancement results from the combined effects of photonic resonance and Mie scattering. Overall efficiency of these devices is improved by 8% and 14%, respectively.