Issue 9, 2011

The structure–property relationship of organic dyes in mesoscopic titania solar cells: only one double-bond difference

Abstract

A photosensitizer plays a crucial role in the conversion of solar light to electricity in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). Thereby an all-sided apprehension on its structure–property relationship should to a large extent expedite rational material design. In this paper, we investigate some general impacts of one double-bond variation upon the optoelectronic features of three pairs of cyanoacrylic acid dyes. One double-bond insertion between a triphenylamine electron donor and π-conjugated heterocycles such as thiophene, 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene and 4,4-dihexyl-4H-cyclopenta[2,1-b:3,4-b]dithiophene endows a bathochromic effect in terms of electronic absorption of a dye-coated titania film, but leads to a relatively lower electron injection yield as indicated by transient emission measurements. Moreover, this style of one more double-bond incorporation brings forth a lower open-circuit photovoltage, owing to the occurrences of a downwards shifted titania conduction band edge and an augmented rate constant of charge recombination at the titania/electrolyte interface as revealed by electrical impedance analyses.

Graphical abstract: The structure–property relationship of organic dyes in mesoscopic titania solar cells: only one double-bond difference

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
30 May 2011
Accepted
08 Jun 2011
First published
21 Jul 2011

Energy Environ. Sci., 2011,4, 3545-3551

The structure–property relationship of organic dyes in mesoscopic titania solar cells: only one double-bond difference

J. Liu, D. Zhou, M. Xu, X. Jing and P. Wang, Energy Environ. Sci., 2011, 4, 3545 DOI: 10.1039/C1EE01849C

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements