Methods and devices for forming painted circuits using multiple layers of electrically conductive paint. In one aspect, a painted circuit includes a substrate and one or more paint layers applied to the substrate where the one or more paint layers each form an electrical component of the painted circuit, and where the one or more paint layers includes a p-type hole conducting paint layer applied to the substrate, a photosensitized paint layer applied to the p-type hole conducing paint layer, an n-type electron conducting paint layer applied to the photosensitized paint layer, and a transparent protective paint layer applied to the n-type electron conducting paint layer.

An electrolyte for a dye-sensitized solar cell is disclosed. The electrolyte includes a solvent being one selected from a group consisting of gamma-butyrolactone (gBL), propylene carbonate (PC) and 3-methoxypropionitrile (MPN), and a polymer mixed with the solvent to form an electrolyte solution, wherein when the solvent is one of gBL and PC, the polymer is one selected from a group consisting of polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polyvinyl acetate (PVA), poly(acrylonitrile-co-vinyl acetate) (PAN-VA) and a combination thereof; and when the solvent is MPN, the polymer includes one of a mixture of poly(ethylene oxide (PEO) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), and a mixture of PEO and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA).

A semiconducting nanocomposite and a dye-sensitized solar cell including the same, wherein the semiconducting nanocomposite comprises nanocomposite particles selected from the group consisting of TiO.sub.2/ZnO/CdS, TiO.sub.2/ZnO/CdSe, TiO.sub.2/ZnO/PbS, TiO.sub.2/ZnO/PbSe, TiO.sub.2/ZnS/CdSe, TiO.sub.2/ZnS/PbS, TiO.sub.2/ZnS/PbSe, WO.sub.3/ZnO/CdSe, Nb.sub.2O.sub.5/ZnO/CdSe, and combinations thereof. Various embodiments of each component of the dye-sensitized solar cell, including electrodes, conductive layers, dyes, and electrolytes are also provided.

The present disclosure is directed to a triazine-modified ionic liquid compound, the synthesis thereof and an electrochemical cell electrolyte containing the triazine-modified ionic liquid compound.

The present invention generally relates to artificial photosystems and methods of their use, for example in artificial photosynthesis, wherein the artificial photosystems comprise one or more light-harvesting antenna (LHA) comprising a conjugated polyelectrolyte (CPE) complex (CPEC) comprising a donor CPE and an acceptor CPE, wherein the donor CPE and acceptor CPE are an electronic energy transfer (EET) donor/acceptor pair.

The purpose of the present invention is to improve power generation efficiency of a photovoltaic element. In a tandem-type photovoltaic element that comprises titanium dioxide and silicon dioxide, silicon dioxide particles that constitute a first photovoltaic layer 24 composed of silicon dioxide are thinly dispersed on a charge exchange layer 23 that is composed of Pt and has a roughness on the surface and on a first conductive film 22 that is composed of FTO and also has a roughness on the surface. Due to this configuration, a photovoltaic element with high power generation efficiency can be obtained.

A carrier system carries a dye (A) and a co-adsorbent (B) represented by general formula (1): ##STR00001## wherein, ring A represents a 5- or 6-membered heterocycle and may further be fused; a hydrogen atom in the ring A may be replaced by a halogen atom, a cyano group, a nitro group, an OR.sup.2 group, an SR.sup.2 group, or a hydrocarbon group that may have a substituent; Z represents a divalent aliphatic hydrocarbon group that is interrupted zero to three times by O etc.; Z.sup.1 represents a divalent aromatic group; R.sup.1 represents a carboxylic acid group, a sulfonic acid group, a phosphoric acid group, or a phosphonic acid group; R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 each represent a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon group that may have a substituent; An.sup.m represents an m-valent anion; m represents an integer of 1 or 2; and p represents a coefficient for keeping the electrical charge neutral.

Provided is a photoelectric conversion element including: a first electrode; a hole blocking layer; an electron transport layer; a hole transport layer; and a second electrode, wherein the hole transport layer contains a compound represented by general formula (1) below,

##STR00001##

where in the formula, R.sub.1 represents a methoxy group or an ethoxy group, R.sub.2 represents a hydrogen group or a methyl group, R.sub.3 represents a hydrogen group, a methyl group, or a methoxy group, R.sub.4 represents a methoxy group, and X represents CH.sub.2, CH.sub.2CH.sub.2, O, or C(CH.sub.2).sub.5.

The present invention relates to a dye-sensitized solar cell including a light absorbing layer (1), a first conducting layer (2) for extracting photo-generated electrons from the light absorbing layer, a counter electrode including a second conducting layer (3), a porous insulating layer (5b) disposed between the first and second conducting layers, and a conducting medium for transferring charges between the counter electrode and the working electrode. The solar cell further comprises a third conducting layer (6b) disposed between the porous insulating layer (5b) and the second conducting layer (3) and in electrical contact with the second conducting layer, and the third conducting layer includes a porous substrate (8) made of an insulating material and conducting particles accommodated in the pores of the porous substrate and forming a conducting network (9) through the insulating material.

Various examples are provided for carbazole-based GUMBOS (group of uniform materials based on organic salts), and its application in organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). In one example, a composition includes a solid phase carbazole-based GUMBOS (group of uniform materials based on organic salts) comprising a counterion such as, e.g., trifluoromethanesulfonate ([Otf]), bis-(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide ([NTf.sub.2]), bis-(pentafluoroethylsulfonyl)imide ([BETI]), tetrafluoroborate (BF4), hexafluorophosphate (PF6), and/or thiocyanate (SCN). The carbazole-based GUMBOS can include carbazoleimidazole-based GUMBOS or 3,6-diBDC carbazolium-based GUMBOS. In another example, a method includes preparing a biphasic solution; separating a layer of DCM from the biphasic solution after stirring; washing the DCM with water to remove byproducts; and evaporating the DCM to form a solid phase carbazoleimidazole-based GUMBOS. Preparing the biphasic solution can include carbazoleimidazolium iodide (CM) dissolved in dichloromethane (DCM) and a dissolved salt including a sodium salt or a lithium salt.