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Electrospinning of Photocatalytic Electrodes for Dye-sensitized Solar Cells
Published on: June 28, 2017
Comparative interface metrics for metal-free monolayer-based dye-sensitized solar cells
Kung-Ching Liao1, Hafeez Anwar, Ian G Hill
1Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|November 13, 2012
Summary
Phosphonate dyes offer superior stability over carboxylates in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). This study quantifies differences in anchoring groups, showing phosphonates provide robust monolayers for efficient solar energy conversion.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Photochemistry
- Renewable Energy
Background:
- Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are a promising renewable energy technology.
- Organic dyes with carboxylate or phosphonate anchoring groups are used in DSSCs.
- Understanding the stability and photochemical properties of these anchoring groups is crucial for DSSC performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantitatively compare self-assembled monolayers of homologous carboxylate- and phosphonate-terminated organic dyes for DSSCs.
- To investigate the effect of anchoring groups on photochemical properties and electrode surface reactivity.
- To evaluate the stability and performance of DSSCs utilizing these different dye monolayers.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of (cyanovinyl)phosphonate- and (cyanovinyl)carboxylate-terminated oligothiophenes.
- Monolayer formation on TiO(2) electrodes via "tethering by aggregation and growth" (T-BAG) or solution dipping.
- Characterization using UV/vis spectroscopy, AFM, XPS, ellipsometry, and QCM.
- Fabrication and testing of DSSCs under AM 1.5G solar simulation.
Main Results:
- Phosphonate-terminated dyes exhibited greater stability and less dissociation from the TiO(2) surface compared to carboxylate-terminated dyes in aqueous media.
- Surface characterization confirmed monolayer formation with varying roughness, homogeneity, and thickness.
- Dye-sensitized solar cells using phosphonate monolayers achieved a power conversion efficiency of approximately 5%.
Conclusions:
- Phosphonate anchoring groups provide significantly enhanced stability for organic dyes on TiO(2) electrodes in DSSCs compared to carboxylate groups.
- The cyanovinyl group's effect on device performance was comparable to adding a thiophene moiety.
- Self-assembled monolayers of phosphonate-terminated oligothiophenes are a viable strategy for developing efficient and stable dye-sensitized solar cells.
