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The charge-transport dynamics at the dye–TiO2 interface plays a vital role for the resulting power conversion efficiency (PCE) of dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). In this work, we have investigated the charge-exchange dynamics for a series of organic dyes, of different complexity, and a small model of the semiconductor substrate TiO2. The dyes studied involve L1, D35 and LEG4, all well-known organic dyes commonly used in DSSCs. The computational studies have been based on ab initio molecular dynamics (aiMD) simulations, from which structural snapshots have been collected. Estimates of the charge-transfer rate constants of the central exchange processes in the systems have been computed. All dyes show similar properties, and differences are mainly of quantitative character. The processes studied were the electron injection from the photoexcited dye, the hole transfer from TiO2 to the dye and the recombination loss from TiO2 to the dye. It is notable that the electronic coupling/transfer rates differ significantly between the snapshot configurations harvested from the aiMD simulations. The differences are significant and indicate that a single geometrically optimized conformation normally obtained from static quantum-chemistry calculations may provide arbitrary results. Both protonated and deprotonated dye systems were studied. The differences mainly appear in the rate constant of recombination loss between the protonated and the deprotonated dyes, where recombination losses take place at significantly higher rates. The inclusion of lithium ions close to the deprotonated dye carboxylate anchoring group mitigates recombination in a similar way as when protons are retained at the carboxylate group. This may give insight into the performance-enchancing effects of added salts of polarizing cations to the DSSC electrolyte. In addition, solvent effects can retard charge recombination by about two orders of magnitude, which demonstrates that the presence of a solvent will increase the lifetime of injected electrons and thus contribute to a higher PCE of DSSCs. It is also notable that no simple correlation can be identified between high/low transfer rate constants and specific structural arrangements in terms of atom–atom distances, angles or dihedral arrangements of dye sub-units.

Three novel donor–acceptor−π–acceptor-type compounds (WS5, WS6, and WS7) were synthesized and investigated in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) exploring the effect of conjugated linkers on device performance. The new dyes showed strong light-harvesting ability in the visible region with relatively high molar absorption coefficients (>21 800 M–1 cm–1). This can be attributed to their intrinsic charge transfer (CT) from the arylamine to the acceptor group. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed a favorable lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy level, allowing efficient injection into the semiconductor conduction band after excitation. Upon application in DSSC devices, the WS5 dye containing 4,7-di­(furan-2-yl)­benzo­[c]­[1,2,5]­thiadiazole as conjugated linker mediated the highest device power conversion efficiency (PCE) amounting to 5.5%. This is higher than that of the WS6-containing dye based on the 4,7-di­(thiophen-2-yl)­benzo­[c]­[1,2,5]­thiadiazole linker (3.5%) and the WS7 dye based on the 4-(thiophen-2-yl)­benzo­[c]­[1,2,5]­thiadiazole linker (4.3%) under AM 1.5 G illumination. The present results show furan-based dye linker systems to have a significant potential for improving DSSC efficiencies.

An indacenodithieno[3,2-b]thiophene (IDTT) unit is used as a linker moiety to design a new p-type dye-TIP-for solid-state p-type dye-sensitized solar cells. Solar cells based on the TIP dye offered an efficiency of 0.18 % with an open-circuit photovoltage of 550 mV and a short-circuit photocurrent density of 0.86 mA cm

Lithium-ion-free tris(2,2′-bipyridine) Co(ii/iii)-mediated electrolytes have previously been proposed for long-term stable dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Such redox systems also offer an impressive DSSC performance improvement under light soaking exposure, manifested by an increase in photocurrent and fill factor without the expense of decreasing photovoltage. Kinetic studies show that charge transfer and ion diffusion at the electrode/electrolyte interface are improved due to the light exposure. Control experiments reveal that the light effect is unambiguously associated with electrolyte components, [Co(bpy)3]3+ and the Lewis-base additive tert-butylpyridine (TBP). Electrochemical and spectroscopic investigation of the [Co(bpy)3]3+/TBP mixtures points out that the presence of TBP, which retards the electrolyte diffusion, however causes an irreversible redox reaction of [Co(bpy)3]3+ upon light exposure that improves the overall conductivity. This discovery not only provides a new strategy to mitigate the typical Jsc-Voc trade-off in Co(ii/iii)-mediated DSSCs but also highlights the importance of investigating the photochemistry of a photoelectrochemical system. Funding details: China Scholarship Council, CSC; Funding details: Energimyndigheten; Funding details: Vetenskapsrådet, VR; Funding text 1: We gratefully acknowledge the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Energy Agency as well as the China Scholarship Council (CSC) for nancial support. The authors also thank Dr Lei Wang for his helpful assistance in 1H-NMR spectroscopic studies.

The effect of the co-adsorbent chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) up to a concentration of 20 mM on the adsorption of the dye N719 onto titania has been investigated using neutral impact collision ion scattering spectroscopy. It is shown that the co-adsorption of CDCA changes the adsorption mode of N719 from multilayer toward monolayer. FT-IR spectroscopy shows that the adsorption of CDCA increases with increasing CDCA concentration. In contrast, the amount of N719 adsorbed onto titania shows a minimum at 10 mM CDCA, and the relationship between the amount of CDCA and of N719 adsorbed onto titania depends nonmonotonically on the CDCA concentration. The co-adsorption of CDCA and N719 can be described as cooperative. The effect is observed for both low and high N719 concentrations. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

Tandem redox electrolytes, prepared by the addition of a tris(p-anisyl)amine mediator into classic tris(bipyridine)cobalt-based electrolytes, demonstrate favorable electron transfer and reduced energy loss in dye-sensitized solar cells. Here, we have successfully explored three tris(4-alkoxyphenyl)amine mediators with bulky molecular structures and generated more effective tandem redox systems. This series of tandem redox electrolytes rendered solar cells with very high photovoltages exceeding 1 V, which approaches the theoretical voltage limit of tris(bipyridine)cobalt-based electrolytes. Solar cells with power conversion efficiencies of 9.7–11.0% under 1 sun illumination were manufactured. This corresponds to an efficiency improvement of up to 50% as compared to solar cells based on pure tris(bipyridine)cobalt-based electrolytes. The photovoltage increases with increasing steric effects of the tris(4-alkoxyphenyl)amine mediators, which is attributed to a retarded recombination kinetics. These results hi...

The precipitation of solid compounds from model electrolytes for liquid dye-sensitized solar cells has a story to tell regarding decomposition processes to be expected in such systems. Of course, t ...

The development of novel photosensitizers with very high molar extinction coefficients and broad absorption spectra to enhance the light harvesting efficiency providing high PCEs in solid state dye sensitized solar cells (sDSCs) is a main target for improvement.

Two new quinoxaline-based D–A–π–A organic sensitizers AQ309 and AQ310 have been designed and synthesized employing 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) and cyclopentadithiophene (CPDT) as π-linker units, respectively. The new AQ309 and AQ310 dyes have been applied in all-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells (ssDSSCs). An impressive record photoelectric conversion efficiency (PCE) of 8.0% for AQ310-based ssDSSCs using Spiro-OMeTAD as the hole transport material (HTM) was obtained under standard AM 1.5 (100 mW cm−2) solar intensity. This clearly outperforms the PCE of the state-of-the-art organic D–π–A dye LEG4-based devices showing a PCE of 7.3% under the same conditions. Moreover, an excellent high PCE of 8.6% was also recorded for AQ310-based devices under 50% solar intensity. Meanwhile, the AQ310-based ssDSSCs showed a much longer electron lifetime according to the transient photovoltage decay measurement, demonstrating lower charge recombination losses in the devices. Photo-induced absorption spectroscopy (PIA) indicated that AQ310 could be more efficiently regenerated by Spiro-OMeTAD. These results show that molecular engineering is a promising strategy to develop D–A–π–A organic sensitizers for highly efficient ssDSSCs.

The [copper(6,6′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine)2]2+/1+ ([Cu(dmbp)2]2+/1+) redox couple, which possesses a distorted tetragonal geometry of a Cu(I) complex crystal and a distorted tetrahedral coordination geometry of Cu(II) complex crystal, has been developed as a redox mediator in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The energy of loss for dye regeneration was reduced with a very low but sufficient driving force of only 0.11 eV. A distinct increase in open-circuit voltage (VOC) was achieved and a remarkable power conversion efficiency of 10.3% was afforded at 100 mW cm−2 under AM 1.5G condition.

Using the reductive power of the ferrocene moiety (Fc), an ultrafast regeneration step via a covalent attachment of a Fc moiety to an organic triphenylamine-based dye (L1) when adsorbed on TiO 2 is highlighted. Two modified dyes with one and two Fc moieties attached (L1Fc, and L1Fc2), respectively, were synthesized by addition to the L1 dye. These dyes have been studied spectroscopically using ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy in the visible and the infrared (IR) regions. In acetonitrile, the results show an ultrafast excited state quenching of the modified dyes due to an expected electron transfer process from the Fc(s) to L1. Adsorbed onto TiO 2 , an electron transfer process is also detected from Fc to the oxidized dye (L1 + ). Despite the occurrence of an ultrafast regeneration step, the solar cell performance does not improve by the attachment of Fc(s) to the dye L1. Transient absorption measurements in the IR region revealed a fast electron recombination process to the Fc + moiety on an average time scale of ca. 300 ps, outcompeting the >12 ns process to L1 + . The reasons for the observed considerably faster recombination rate to Fc + than to L1 + are discussed in detail. This study provides deep spectroscopic insights for such organic dyes utilized to afford ultrafast regeneration step without showing high performance in photovoltaic devices. In addition, this study will improve our understandings for the triangular relationship between the molecular design, electron kinetics, and the performance in photovoltaic devices.

Two novel low-cost fluorene-based hole transport materials (HTMs) HT1 and HT2 as alternatives to the expensive HTM Spiro-OMeTAD have been designed and synthesized for the application in perovskite ...

Nanostructured liquid-crystalline (LC) electrolytes have been developed for efficient and stable quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Two types of ionic LC assemblies for electrolytes have been designed: (i) noncovalent assemblies of two-component mixtures consisting of I2-doped imidazolium ionic liquids and carbonate-terminated mesogenic compounds (noncovalent type) and (ii) single-component mesogenic compounds covalently bonding an imidazolium moiety doped with I2 (covalent type). These mesogenic compounds are designed with flexible oligooxyethylene spacers connecting the mesogenic and the polar moieties. The oligooxyethylene-based material design inhibits crystallization and leads to enhanced ion transport as compared to alkyl-linked analogues due to the higher flexibility of the oligooxyethylene spacer. The noncovalent type mixtures exhibit a more than 10 times higher I3– diffusion coefficient compared to the covalent type assemblies. DSSCs containing the noncovalent type liquid cryst...

Two new dyes, E1 and E2, equipped with triphenylamine as the electron donor, oligothiophene as the linker and different electron acceptor groups, have been designed and synthesized as photosensitizers for p-type dye-sensitized solar cells (p-DSCs). A systematic study of the effect of molecular structures on the observed photophysical properties, the electron/hole recombination process, the overall performance and the interfacial charge separation was carried out. Transient absorption spectroscopy (TAS) shows that the E1 dye with a napthoilene-1,2-benzimidazole (NBI) unit as the acceptor has a longer lifetime in the reduced state than the E2 dye with a malononitrile subunit on the NiO surface.

A low-cost spiro[fluorene-9,9′-xanthene] (SFX) based organic hole transport material (HTM) termed X60 was designed and synthesized using a two-step synthetic route. Devices with X60 as HTM showed high power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) amounting to 7.30% in solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells (ssDSCs) and 19.84% in perovskite solar cells (PSCs), under 100 mW cm−2 AM1.5G solar illumination. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of an easily synthesized spiro-structured HTM that shows comparable performance with respect to the well-known HTM Spiro-OMeTAD in both ssDSCs and PSCs. Furthermore, the facile synthesis of X60 from commercially available starting materials makes this HTM very promising for large-scale industrial production in the future.

The electrolyte composition has a significant effect on the performance and stability of cobalt-based, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The stability of DSSCs incorporating Co(II/III) tris(bipyr ...

Dipicolinic acid was investigated as a new anchoring group for DSSCs. A pilot dye (PD2) bearing this new anchoring group was found to adsorb significantly stronger to TiO2 than its cyanoacrylic acid analogue. The electrolyte composition was found to have a strong effect on the photoelectrochemical properties of the adsorbed dye in the device, allowing the dye LUMO energy to be tuned by 0.5 eV. Using a pyridine-free electrolyte, panchromatic absorption of the dye on TiO2 extending to 900 nm has been achieved. Solar cells using PD2 and a Co(bpy)3 based electrolyte showed unique stability under simulated sunlight and elevated temperatures.

A new TEMPO–Co tandem redox system with TEMPO and Co(bpy)3 2+/3+ has been investigated for the use in dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). A large open‐circuit voltage (V OC) increase, from 862 mV to 965 mV, was observed in the tandem redox system, while the short‐circuit current density (J SC) was maintained. The conversion efficiency was observed to increase from 7.1 % for cells containing the single Co(bpy)3 2+/3+ redox couple, to 8.4 % for cells containing the TEMPO–Co tandem redox system. The reason for the increase in V OC and overall efficiency is ascribed to the involvement of partial regeneration of the sensitizing dye molecules by TEMPO. This assumption can be verified through the observed much faster regeneration dynamics exhibited in the presence of the tandem system. Using the tandem redox system, the faster recombination problem of the single TEMPO redox couple is resolved and the mass‐transport of the metal‐complex‐based electrolyte is also improved. This TEMPO–Co tandem system is so far the most effienct tandem redox electrolyte reported not involving iodine. The current results show a promising future for tandem system as replacements for single redox systems in electrolytes for DSSCs.

Nanostructured liquid-crystalline (LC) ion transporters have been developed and applied as new electrolytes for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The new electrolytes are two-component liquid crystals consisting of a carbonate-based mesogen and an ionic liquid that self-assemble into two-dimensional (2D) nanosegregated structures forming well-defined ionic pathways suitable for the I–/I3– redox couple transportation. These electrolytes are nonvolatile and they show LC phases over wide temperature ranges. The DSSCs containing these electrolytes exhibit exceptional open-circuit voltages (Voc) and improved power conversion efficiencies with increasing temperature. Remarkably, these solar cells operate at temperatures up to 120 °C, which is, to the best of our knowledge, the highest working temperature reported for a DSSC. The nature of the LC electrolyte and the interactions at the TiO2 electrode/electrolyte interface lead to a partial suppression of electron recombination reactions, which is key in the ex...

Dye-sensitized solar cells represent a type of device which converts solar energy into electricity based on molecular components. This is an attractive alternative for solar energy conversion because such devices can be made as low-cost, colorful, and transparent solar cell in contrast to the traditional semiconductor-based solar cells. In this chapter, we will give an overview of all molecule-based components in this kind of solar cell and also comment on its working principle, the dye design, the dye arrangement, the electrolyte composition, as well as the counter electrode materials. The standard types of dye-sensitized solar cells are regarded as n-type, but at the end, p-type and tandem dye-sensitized solar cells will also be introduced.

Dye-sensitized solar cells employing nonvolatile liquid-crystalline (LC) electrolytes that form nanostructures capable of efficient ion transport are reported. The LC electrolyte consists of a cyclic carbonate-functionalized mesogen and an iodide-based ionic liquid that nanosegregates into lamellar structures exhibiting over four times higher ion conductivities parallel to the layers than perpendicular to the layers. The self-assembled ion pathways allow efficient ion transport in the semi-solid LC state. When used together with organic dyes, DSSCs employing these LC electrolytes show higher power conversion efficiency (PCE) than metal-organic dyes. This behavior is not observed for devices containing standard liquid electrolytes. The higher PCEs of the LC-based devices can be attributed to longer electron lifetimes (τ) and higher electron densities in the photoelectrodes. The high concentration of iodide ions in the nanostructured pathways of the LC electrolyte is thought to induce reductive quenching of the ruthenium-based sensitizer, which competes with the electron injection process and lowers the τ and electron densities of the TiO2 .

Two carbazole-based small molecule hole-transport materials (HTMs) are synthesized and investigated in solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells (ssDSCs) and perovskite solar cells (PSCs). The HTM X51-based devices exhibit high power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 6.0% and 9.8% in ssDSCs and PSCs, respectively. These results are superior or comparable to those of 5.5% and 10.2%, respectively, obtained for the analogous cells using the state-of-the-art HTM Spiro-OMeTAD.

We applied organic donor-π-acceptor (D-π-A) sensitizers for photoelectrochemical polymerization (PEP) because of their appropriate energy levels and high light absorption. The polymerized conducting polymer PEDOT was used as hole conductor in all-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells (ssDSCs). By combination of the D-π-A sensitizers and the generated PEDOT from PEP of bis-EDOT in acetonitrile, the resulting device showed an average power conversion efficiency of 5.6%. Furthermore, the PEP in aqueous micellar electrolytic medium was also employed because of the ability to decrease oxidation potential of the precursor, thereby making the polymerization process easier. The latter method is a cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach. Using as hole conductor the so-obtained PEDOT from PEP of bis-EDOT in aqueous electrolyte, the devices exhibited impressive power conversion efficiency of 5.2%. To compare the properties of the generated polymer from bis-EDOT in these two PEP methods, electron lifeti...

Four weak donor backbones (BT, BTP, BT2, and BT3), featuring stepwise enhanced electron-donating capacities, are designed and synthesized. The sp(3) type carbons introduced are tethered with auxili ...

Ionic liquids have been intensively investigated as alternative stable electrolyte solvents for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). A highest overall conversion efficiency of over 8% has been achieved using a ionic-liquid-based electrolyte in combination with an iodide/triiodide redox couple. However, the relatively high viscosities of ionic liquids require higher iodine concentration in the electrolyte due to mass-transport limitations of the triiodide ions. The higher iodine concentration significantly reduces the photovoltaic performance, which normally are lower than those using organic solvent-based electrolytes. Here, the concept of incompletely solvated ionic liquid mixtures (ISILMs) is introduced and represents a conceptually new type of electrolyte solvent for DSCs. It is found that the photovoltaic performance of ISILM-based electrolytes can rival that of organic solvent-based electrolytes. Furthermore, the vapor pressures of ISILMs are found to be considerably lower than that for pure organic solvents. Stability tests show that ISILM-based electrolytes provide highly stable DSCs under light soaking conditions. Thus, ISILM-based electrolytes offer a new platform to develop more efficient and stable DSC devices of relevance to future large-scale applications.

Cobalt complexes represent interesting alternative redox mediators in dye-sensitized solar cells, with weak visible light absorption and a wide variety in redox potentials. Its diffusion in mesoporous TiO2 may, however, limit its performance.

The structure of the dye layer adsorbed on the titania substrate in a dye-sensitized solar cell is of fundamental importance for the function of the cell, since it strongly influences the injection of photoelectrons from the excited dye molecules into the titania substrate. The adsorption isotherms of the N719 ruthenium-based dye were determined both with a direct method using the depth profiling technique neutral impact collision ion scattering spectroscopy (NICISS) and with the standard indirect solution depletion method. It is found that the dye layer adsorbed on the titania surface is laterally inhomogeneous in thickness and there is a growth mechanism already from low coverage levels involving a combination of monolayers and multilayers. It is also found that the amount of N719 adsorbed on the substrate depends on the titania structure. The present results show that dye molecules in dye-sensitized solar cells are not necessarily, as presumed, adsorbed as a self-assembled monolayer on the substrate.

Tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) was investigated as an organic iodine-free redox mediator in electrolytes for dye-sensitized, nanocrystalline solar cells (DSCs) and was compared to the commonly used iodide/triiodide system. The TTF system studied was determined to be a one-electron transfer system, although potentially exhibiting three well-defined oxidation states. Despite the slightly positive redox potential of TTF, electrolytes with TTF displayed around 200 mV lower open-circuit voltage than the iodide/triiodide system. This can mainly be ascribed to a much shorter electron lifetime in the TiO2 film. Mass transport limitations for redox species in TTF-based electrolytes were found to be serious. Electrochemical impedance measurements (EIS) show that the charge-transfer resistance at the counter electrode in the electrolyte with TTF is considerably larger than for the iodide/triiodide system. In addition, the light absorption of the TTF-based electrolyte is stronger than that for the iodide/triiodide system. Thus, DSCs with TTF-based electrolytes show worse photovoltaic performance than those with iodide/triiodide-based electrolytes. The differences in I–V characteristics and charge-recombination behavior have also been elucidated.

The effects of additives guanidinium thiocyanate (GSCN) and N-methylbenzimidazole (MBI) on the photovoltaic performance of dye-sensitized solar cells based on low-viscous, binary ionic liquid and o ...

The present work describes the effects of different iodine concentrations and iodine-to-iodide ratios in electrolytes for dye-sensitized solar cells based on low-viscous, binary ionic liquid and or ...

Light-soaking and high-temperature storage testing of monolithic dye-sensitised solar modules with total area module efficiencies above 5% have been performed. Our experiences from the development ...

N heterocyclic compds., such as N-methylbenzimidazole (MBI), are commonly used as additives to electrolytes for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs), but the chem. transformation of additives in electrolyte solns. remains poorly understood. Solid cryst. compd. (MBI)6(MBI-H+)2(I-)(I3-) (1) was isolated from different electrolytes for DSCs contg. MBI as additive. The crystal structure of 1 was detd. by single-crystal x-ray diffraction. In the crystal structure, 1 contains neutral and protonated MBI fragments; iodide and triiodide anions form infinite chains along the crystallog. a-axis. The role of the solvent and additives in the crystn. process in electrolytes is discussed.

In this paper, we report on the preparation of interhalogen ionic liquids of the general formula [K+]XY2-, where K+=1,3-dialkylimidazolium, 1,2,3-trialkylimidazolium, or N-alkylpyridinium; XY2-=IBr2- or I2Br-. These compounds were characterized in solution and the solid state by NMR, IR, Raman, and mass spectroscopy. The crystal structure of the compound [Me2BuIm]IBr2 (7) shows that the IBr2- anion has a linear Br-I-Br structure. Indications of an equilibrium between different forms of XY2- anions in solution are observed. Interhalogen ionic salts and liquids were used as electrolyte components for encapsulated monolithic dye-sensitized solar cells. Overall light-to-electricity conversion efficiencies up to 6.4%, 5.0%, and 2.4% at 1000 W/m2 were achieved by using electrolytes based on interhalogen ionic salts and gamma-butyrolactone, glutaronitrile, or native ionic liquids as solvents, respectively. Moreover, in terms of stability, the cell performance lost 9-14% of the initial performance after 1000 h illumination at 350 W/m2.

A multicell is presented as a tool for testing material components in encapsulated dye-sensitized solar cells. The multicell is based on a four-layer monolithic cell structure and an industrial process technol. Each multicell plate includes 24 individual well-encapsulated cells. A sulfur lamp cor. to the solar spectrum has been used to characterize the cells. Efficiencies up to 6.8% at a light-intensity of 1000 W/m2 (up to 7.5% at 250 W/m2) have been obtained with an electrolyte soln. based on γ-butyrolactone. Addnl., a promising long-term stability at cell efficiencies close to 5% at 1000 W/m2 has been obtained with an electrolyte based on glutaronitrile. The reproducibility of the cell performance before and after exposure to accelerated testing has been high. This means that the multicell can be used as an efficient tool for comparative performance and stability tests.

The electron transport and recombination in dye-sensitized TiO2 solar cells with different electrolytes have been investigated. The electrolytes were based on iodine-doped ionic liqs. (diethylmethylsulfonium iodide, dibutylmethylsulfonium iodide or 3-hexyl-1-methylimidazolium iodide) or an org. solvent (3-methoxypropionitrile with LiI, I2 and 1-methylbenzimidazole). The most viscous electrolytes showed a clear limitation in photocurrent, which can be attributed to a low diffusion coeff. for the triiodide that transports pos. charge to the counter-electrode. No essential difference was found in the electron transport properties of the solar cells, which appear to be dominated by the properties of the nanostructured TiO2 film. The intensity-modulated photocurrent response was strongly affected by current satn. It is proposed that this is caused by recombination processes. The electron lifetime is depending on the type of cation used in the ionic liq., where bulky, less absorptive cations seem to give longer lifetimes.

This chapter discusses the role of the iodine-based redox systems in the three components of the dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) separately; at the photoelectrode, at the counterelectrode, and finally in the electrolyte. It should be noted that essentially all information communicated refers to n-type DSSC devices, and that similar descriptions regarding the role of iodine is also be made for p-type DSSCs. Regeneration of the oxidized dye at the photoelectrode is a central process in the DSSC. Many different counterelectrode materials may be used in DSSC devices, such as conducting metal oxides, carbon materials, and metals. The DSSC device is conceptually quite simple, but the optimization of the device as a whole is a delicate matter involving several intimate and delicately dependent processes, in particular at the electrode surfaces. Iodide was not the only halide to be used in DSSCs. Bromide, with its oxidized companion-the tribromide ion-represents an alternative.

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/), Concentration depth profiles of the ruthenium based dyes Z907 and N719 adsorbed onto titania are measured directly and used for determining the adsorption isotherm of the dyes. Dye layers formed by both grow in islands on the titania which do not cover the entire titania surface even at the maximum coverage. Impedance spectroscopy in conjunction with the adsorption isotherms shows that recombination losses mainly appear between the dye and the electrolyte solution. The short circuit current and the efficiency increase linearly with the dye coverage. The open circuit voltage slightly increases with increasing dye coverage which is interpreted as most likely to be a consequence of the higher charge in the particles upon higher dye loading on the TiO2 surface.

This viewpoint describes the background of the development of organic dyes for dye-sensitized solar cells, the impact of the 2006 ChemComm paper by Sun, Hagfeldt and co-workers regarding the D5 D–π–A-family of dyes, some recent developments and possible future challenges to meet.

A new type of electrolyte with a sulfide/polysulfide redox couple and I(-) was prepared as a solvent-free ionic liquid for application in dye-sensitized solar cells, reaching efficiencies of 5.2-6.4% under AM 1.5G, 100 mW cm(-2) light illumination, and 6.6% efficiency was obtained under 0.1 sun irradiation.

Photovoltaics, or solar cells, are fast growing both with regards to industrialization and research. Globally, the total PV installation is around 40 GW and an annual growth rate of 45% has been experienced over recent years. In the comparison between different photovoltaic technologies a figure of merit is the production cost per peak watt of solar electricity produced. For so called second generation thin film solar cells production costs down to and even below 1 $/W−1peak are reported. To be competitive with conventional energy sources for large-scale electricity production new PV technologies need to aim at production costs below 0.5 $/W−1peak. The dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) is a molecular solar cell technology which have the potential to achieve production costs below 0.5 $/W−1peak. DSC is based on molecular and nanometer-scale components. Record cell efficiencies of 12%, promising stability data and means of energy efficient production methods have been accomplished. As selling points for the DSC technology the prospect of low-cost investments and fabrication are key features. DSCs offer the possibilities to design solar cells with a large flexibility in shape, color, and transparency. This chapter describes the basic principles of the operation of DSC, the state-of-the-art, the materials development that is currently taking place as well as the potentials for future development.

Charge separation at the dye/titania interface in dye sensitized solar cells is strongly influenced by the thickness and homogeneity of the sensitizing dye layer, as this controls the potential drop across the interface, and the probability of an excited electron being transferred from the dye to the titania. In this study we use atomic force microscopy and the depth profiling method neutral impact collision ion scattering spectroscopy (NICISS) to investigate the thickness and homogeneity of N719 dye adsorbed to titania before and after rinsing with pure acetonitrile. Both experimental methods show that the dye layers are closed but inhomogeneous. Inhomogeneity is more pronounced for unrinsed samples.

A low-cost, chlorinated hydrocarbon solvent, 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane (TeCA), is used as an effective additive for the triarylamine-based organic hole-transport material, Spiro-OMeTAD, which is su ...

Two Redox Couples are Better Than One : Improved Current and Fill Factor from Cobalt-Based Electrolytes in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Recently, cobalt redox electrolyte mediators have emerged as a promising alternative to the commonly used iodide/triiodide redox shuttle in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). Here, we report the successful use of a new quasi-liquid, polymer-based electrolyte containing the Co(3+)/Co(2+) redox mediator in 3-methoxy propionitrile solvent in order to overcome the limitations of high cell resistance, low diffusion coefficient and rapid recombination losses. The performance of the solar cells containing the polymer based electrolytes increased by a factor of 1.2 with respect to an analogous electrolyte without the polymer. The performances of the fabricated DSCs have been investigated in detail by photovoltaic, transient electron measurements, EIS, Raman and UV-vis spectroscopy. This approach offers an effective way to make high-performance and long-lasting DSCs.

This viewpoint describes the background of the development of organic dyes for dye-sensitized solar cells, the impact of the 2006 ChemComm paper by Sun, Hagfeldt and co-workers regarding the D5 D-π-A-family of dyes, some recent developments and possible future challenges to meet.

A new kind of hybrid electrolyte with S2−/Sx2− and I− was invented, and the new hybrid system was demonstrated to outperform the well-known I−/I3− redox system in DSCs. An efficiency of 9.1% was achieved in our lab under AM 1.5 illumination using the dye N719, considerably higher than the efficiency of 8.0% of the I−/I3−-based electrolyte.