Chromopore-linked conducting polymers attached to semiconductor surfaces: a strategy for development of...

It is suggested that attaching chromopores to a conducting polymer chain anchored to a semiconductor surface is a good strategy for development of dye-sensitized solar cells. A model system that illustrates this principle is constructed by bonding mercurochrome to poly(vinyl alcohol) films adsorbed onto nanocrystalline TiO2 films. The dye-polymer structure enables transport of electrons (released in excitation of the dye) along the polymer chain to TiO2 as states in the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital of the polymer. By attaching several chromopores to a polymer chain, panchromatic sensitization can be achieved in principle by avoiding concentration quenching and the insulation by thick dye layers.