Photovoltaic Cell Close Read

Name__________________________________ Period________ Date___________

Vocabulary:
Sensitized: To make a photographic film, plate, or other medium sensitive to light by
coating it with a chemical
Semiconductor: A solid substance that allows some electricity to pass through it.
Photo-sensitized: Made sensitive to light
Anode: The positive electrode in an electrolytic cell
Cathode: The negative electrode of an electrolytic cell
Electrolyte: A chemical compound that separates into ions in a solution and is able to
conduct electricity.
Stability: The condition of being stable
Doped: to add a substance such as arsenic or antimony to a semiconductor material like
silicon or germanium during the manufacturing process in order to increase its
conductivity
Fermi levels: The term used to describe the top of the collection of electron energy levels
Interface: To touch or meet at a surface, place, or point, or make things join in this way
Depleted: Less of something that existed before
Accumulated: To get more and more of something over a period of time
Photon: A unit of energy in the form of light
Oxide: A compound that contains oxygen, usually combined with a metal
Bio-mimetic: A machine that acts like (mimics) an organism
Bionic: A machine that replaces an organisms function
Porosity: The ratio of space taken up by pores in a material.
Nanoparticles: particles between 1 and 100 nanometers in size.
Catalyst: A substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself
undergoing any change
Matrix: A substance in which something is embedded or enclosed

Ruthenium-polypyridine dye: A type of photosensitive dye

h: Shorthand for light (Planks constant times nu)
Diffusion: The spread of one substance into another
Ion redox mediator: A substance attached to an electrode that assists in transferring
electrons.
Regeneration: The process of restoring a substance to a usable state after exhaustion.
Gradient: A measure of change in a physical quantity such as temperature or pressure over
a particular distance

First Read (Scan):

1) What is being discussed?

2) What are the two types of Photoelectric cells in the article?

3) What are the three subparagraphs included in the discussion for Dye-sensitized Solar
Cells?

Second Read (General Information):

1) Who Invented the DSSC?

2) What are two attractive features for the DSSC?

3) What are the 3 main parts of a DSSC?

Third Read (Details):

1) In a traditional photocell, what happens to the UV energy? Why?

2) What is the biggest problem with the current technology?

3) What is the source of electrons in a DSSC?

4) What are the main processes that occur in a DSSC?