Artículo del mes

In this paper we report an experimental analysis of the performance of photonic cristal based dye solar cells (PC-DSC) as the incident light angle moves away from the normal with respect to the cell surface. Nanoparticle multilayers operating at different wavelength ranges were coupled to the working electrode of a dye sensitized solar cell for this study. The interplay between optical and photovoltaic properties with the incident light angle is discussed. We demonstrate that an efficiency enhancement is attained for PC-DSC at all angles measured, and that rational design of the photonic crystal back mirror leads to a reduction of the photocurrent losses related with the tilt angle of the cell, usually labeled as cosine losses. Angular variations of the cell transparency are also reported and discussed. These angular properties are relevant for the application of these solar devices in building integrated photovoltaics as potential windows modules.