Issue 36, 2013

Tuning band structures of dyes for dye-sensitized solar cells: effect of different π-bridges on the performance of cells

Abstract

Three organic dyes (LJ101, LJ102, and LJ103) with different π-bridges such as thiophene, 3-hexylthiophene and 3, 4-ethyldioxythiophene, were prepared and applied for the dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The effect of the different π-bridges on the photovoltaic performance of DSSCs were studied with the aid of quantum chemical calculation and electrochemical-impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The introduction of π-bridges to construct dyes makes the absorption spectra red shift and enhances the molar extinction coefficient compared to the parent structure of TH305 without π-conjugated bridge. However, the increasing conjugation length of the molecules decreases the performance of DSSCs, due to the two reduced gaps: one is between the LUMO levels of dyes and the conduction band edge of TiO2, the other one is the energy gap between the HOMO levels of dyes and the redox potential of iodide/triiodide. The conversion efficiencies of DSSCs based on LJ series dyes ranged from 6.1 to 6.4%, which are lower than that of TH305 (7.5%).

Graphical abstract: Tuning band structures of dyes for dye-sensitized solar cells: effect of different π-bridges on the performance of cells

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
14 Jan 2013
Accepted
19 Jun 2013
First published
25 Jun 2013

RSC Adv., 2013,3, 15734-15743

Tuning band structures of dyes for dye-sensitized solar cells: effect of different π-bridges on the performance of cells

J. Liu, X. Yang, J. Zhao and L. Sun, RSC Adv., 2013, 3, 15734 DOI: 10.1039/C3RA00180F

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