Efficient Solar Cells Based on Concerted Companion Dyes Containing Two Complementary Components: An Alternative...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Photovoltaics
• Organic Chemistry

Background:

• Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) often use cosensitization with two dyes for broad light absorption.
• Cosensitization requires complex optimization of dye ratios and distribution on TiO2 films.
• This optimization process is time-consuming and limits the strategy's potential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an alternative approach for efficient DSSCs using covalently linked dyes.
• To design and synthesize

Main Methods:

• Synthesized a class of concerted companion dyes by covalently linking organic dye Z2 with porphyrin dye XW51 via flexible chains.
• Fabricated DSSCs using the synthesized dyes (XW60-XW63).
• Optimized cell performance by coadsorbing dye XW61 with chenodeoxycholic acid.

Main Results:

• The synthesized dyes (XW60-XW63) demonstrated excellent absorption and efficiencies between 8.8% and 11.7%.
• Dye XW61, when coadsorbed with chenodeoxycholic acid, achieved a record 12.4% efficiency for iodine electrolyte-based DSSCs.
• The new dyes offer advantages like easy cell fabrication, simple optimization, and excellent photostability.

Conclusions:

• Concerted companion dyes offer a simplified and effective strategy for high-performance DSSCs.
• This approach overcomes the limitations of traditional cosensitization methods.
• The developed dyes represent a significant advancement in DSSC technology, particularly for iodine electrolyte systems.