Molecular Engineering of Potent Sensitizers for Very Efficient Light Harvesting in Thin-Film Solid-State Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Xiaoyu Zhang, Yaoyao Xu, Fabrizio Giordano, Marcel Schreier, Norman Pellet, Yue Hu, Chenyi Yi, Neil Robertson, Jianli Hua, Shaik M. Zakeeruddin, He Tian, Michael Grätzel

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have shown significant potential for indoor and building-integrated photovoltaic applications. Herein we present three new D–A−π–A organic sensitizers, XY1, XY2, and XY3, that exhibit high molar extinction coefficients and a broad absorption range. Molecular modifications of these dyes, featuring a benzothiadiazole (BTZ) auxiliary acceptor, were achieved by introducing a thiophene heterocycle as well as by shifting the position of BTZ on the conjugated bridge. The ensuing high molar absorption coefficients enabled the fabrication of highly efficient thin-film solid-state DSSCs with only 1.3 μm mesoporous TiO2 layer. XY2 with a molar extinction coefficient of 6.66 × 104 M–1 cm–1 at 578 nm led to the best photovoltaic performance of 7.51%.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)10742–10745
Number of pages4
JournalJournal of the American Chemical Society
Volume138
Issue number34
Early online date4 Aug 2016
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 31 Aug 2016

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Molecular Engineering of Potent Sensitizers for Very Efficient Light Harvesting in Thin-Film Solid-State Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this