Fujikura Ltd. (President & CEO: Masahiko Ito) is pleased to announce that it has received the Society of Iodine Science Award 2020 for the practical application of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSC).

This award is given to developers who have made significant contributions to the development in the field of basic and applied research of iodine, as well as its industry.

The features of our DSSC products are efficient power generation over a wide range of indoor and outdoor lighting conditions and excellent long-term reliability. The successful use of iodine-based electrolytes is a major factor in the realization of these product features. While the iodine-based electrolyte shows excellent properties in charge transport of DSSC, the strong reactivity of iodine and the difficulty of sealing the electrolyte without leaking for a long time have been a technical barrier to commercialization. The award is in recognition of the comprehensive development of DSSC module technology to overcome these challenges, and the commercialization of DSSC as an energy harvesting (EH) power supply for IoT devices based on the knowledge and technology acquired from the development.

Fujikura’s DSSC products

Nowadays, there is a growing need for labor saving and automation using IoT sensing. Meanwhile, in accordance with the expansion of the use of IoT sensor devices in various aspects of our daily lives, a new challenge has emerged: the increase in both cost and workload required for the battery replacement of those devices. We believe promoting the wide use of our DSSC will lead to not only reduction in such cost but also battery waste, and accordingly will contribute to the realization of comfortable and environmentally friendly society.

More information about our DSSC can be found at the following website.
https://dsc.fujikura.jp/en/

The Society of Iodine Science: This society was established by volunteers from academia and industry with the cooperation of the Japanese government, aiming at further exploration and advanced utilization of iodine, a precious natural resource and an essential element for human growth (http://fiu-iodine.org/en/ ).

Charge transport: DSSC generates electricity by the transfer of electric charges generated by light, through electrodes or electrolyte. The transfer of charges must take place stably and quickly. Iodine enables it in DSSC.

Energy harvesting: The technology of harvesting ambient energy, such as light, heat, and vibration, and converting it into electrical energy.