Charge transport at the metal oxide and organic interface

Abstract

This review focuses on electron transfer at the interfaces between metal oxides and dye molecules within the context of the chemical nature of the anchoring functional groups, the structure of the dye molecules and the morphology of the metal oxides. In dye-sensitized metal oxides, the efficiency of interfacial charge separation and hence photon-to-current conversion may be sensitively manipulated by the interfacial bonding interactions whereby the dye molecules are adsorbed onto the oxide surface, as well as by the oxide surface morphologies. In these studies, it has been found that upon photoirradiation, the electron injection from the excited dye molecules into the conduction band of metal oxides and electron transport in the metal oxide are two of the most important steps. Therefore, a fundamental understanding of how the interfacial electron transfer dynamics is impacted by these structural parameters is critical for the design and optimization of dye-sensitized photocatalysis and photovoltaics.