Issue 7, 2022

Monitoring the dependence of the photovoltaic properties of dye-sensitized solar cells from the structure of D–A–π–A-type sensitizers with a 9-(p-tolyl)-2,3,4,4a,9,9a-hexahydro-1H-1,4-methanocarbazole donor building block

Abstract

The potential of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) based on synthesized D–A–π–A-type dyes with a 9-(p-tolyl)-2,3,4,4a,9,9a-hexahydro-1H-1,4-methanocarbazole building block as a donor fragment was explored. The influence of the structure of the internal acceptor and of the π-spacer on the optical and photovoltaic properties of the NIK series sensitizers was revealed. Dyes based on benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole, which is a stronger electron-withdrawing unit than 2,3-diphenylquinoxaline, showed a bathochromic shift of the absorption band corresponding to intermolecular charge transfer, and incorporation of the 4,4-diethylhexyl-4H-cyclopenta[2,1-b:3,4-b′]dithiophene π-bridge (NIK119) instead of thiophene (NIK88) resulted in the highest extinction coefficient among all the studied dyes in the UV-vis spectra. The presence of branched alkyl substituents in NIK119 as well as in NIK99 did not allow reaching a high absorption of these sensitizers on a TiO2 surface, so the solar cells based on them showed low short-circuit current values and, as a consequence, a low power conversion efficiency (PCE). On the other hand, the absence of bulky groups in the structure of the sensitizer sharply increases charge recombination and dye aggregation, which causes the dramatic drop in PCE for NIK88. The optimal ratio between the concentration of dyes on a TiO2 surface and the electronic effects of individual blocks was achieved for the NIK97 dye based on unsubstituted 2,3-diphenylquinoxaline, for which a PCE value of 5.68% was obtained using CDCA as a co-adsorbent.

Graphical abstract: Monitoring the dependence of the photovoltaic properties of dye-sensitized solar cells from the structure of D–A–π–A-type sensitizers with a 9-(p-tolyl)-2,3,4,4a,9,9a-hexahydro-1H-1,4-methanocarbazole donor building block

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
07 Feb 2022
Accepted
16 Mar 2022
First published
16 Mar 2022

Mol. Syst. Des. Eng., 2022,7, 755-766

Monitoring the dependence of the photovoltaic properties of dye-sensitized solar cells from the structure of D–A–π–A-type sensitizers with a 9-(p-tolyl)-2,3,4,4a,9,9a-hexahydro-1H-1,4-methanocarbazole donor building block

N. S. Gudim, M. S. Mikhailov, E. A. Knyazeva, D. M. Almenningen, L. V. Mikhalchenko, S. P. Economopoulos and O. A. Rakitin, Mol. Syst. Des. Eng., 2022, 7, 755 DOI: 10.1039/D2ME00025C

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