GLASS SEALING OF DYE-SENSITIZED SOLAR CELLS

摘要

The present invent describes a new sealing process of a specific type of photovoltaic cells named dye-sensitized solar cells. Currently, the sealing of these cells is made by means of a polymer, which connects the two electrode substrates made of glass, isolating the cell's inner content from the outside. The glass-based sealing method has the advantage of enhancing the cell's lifetime. However, glass sealing should not lead to the heating of the whole cell, which may cause its degradation. The process here unveiled employs a string of a glass precursor, a powder or a paste, that bounds the cell's entire external perimeter. The glass precursor string is then heated to its melting point with a laser beam, allowing the two substrates of the cell to stick together - figure A.