D–π–A organic dyes derived from the indacenodithiophene core moiety for efficient dye-sensitized solar cells

Abstract

We have designed and synthesized two organic sensitizers that have a D–π–A-type architecture based on an indacenodithiophene core with different donor antennas (triphenylamine and phenothiazine). These were then used as light-harvesting materials in dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) applications. The electrical and optical properties of the sensitizers were tuned by changing the donor part in the organic D–π–A system. The solar cells with the triphenylamine antenna showed a higher photocurrent density (J_sc) of 23.01 mA cm⁻², an open-circuit voltage (V_oc) of 0.659 V, and more durability than the phenothiazine-based cells (21.47 mA cm⁻², 0.640 V), which was due to their band alignment and higher electrical properties. Organic dyes derived from the indacenodithiophene core with a triphenylamine antenna have drawn great interest in academia.