Failure mechanism for flexible dye-sensitized solar cells under repeated outward bending: Cracking and spalling off of nano-porous titanium dioxide film

(Graph Presented). Flexibility, as well as efficiency, of flexible dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) is of significant importance to their applications. In this study, quantitative bending test, carried out with a lab-developed solar cell bending tester, is used to simulate the flexible service condition. The photovoltaic performance, morphology of the photoanode and electrochemical property evolution during bending service are examined to aim at understanding the bending failure mechanism for the flexible DSCs under repeated outward bending (the TiO₂ film in the photoanode is in tension). Results show that when the bending radius is 12 mm, the efficiency of the plastic DSCs keeps unchanged with increasing the bending cycle. When the bending radius is smaller than 12 mm, the efficiency of the flexible DSCs decreases with increasing the bending cycle. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results show that the increase of the electron transport resistance (Rt) in TiO₂ network is responsible for the degradation of efficiency. Furthermore, the photoanodes after repeated bending is cracking and spalling off from the ITO surface. Finally, a failure model for the flexible DSCs under repeated outward bending is proposed.