Monitoring the dependence of the photovoltaic properties of dye-sensitized solar cells from the structure of D–A–π–A-type sensitizers with a 9-(p-tolyl)-2,3,4,4a,9,9a-hexahydro-1H-1,4-methanocarbazole donor building block

Monitoring the dependence of the photovoltaic properties of dye-sensitized solar cells from the structure of D–A–π–A-type sensitizers with a 9-(p-tolyl)-2,3,4,4a,9,9a-hexahydro-1H-1,4-methanocarbazole donor building block Full article

Journal

Molecular Systems Design and Engineering
ISSN: 2058-9689

Output data

Year: 2022, Volume: 7, Number: 7, Pages: 755-766 Pages count : 12 DOI: 10.1039/d2me00025c

Authors

Gudim Nikita S. ¹ , Mikhailov Maxim S. ² , Knyazeva Ekaterina A. ¹ , Almenningen David Moe ³ , Mikhalchenko Ludmila V. ¹ , Economopoulos Solon P. ³ , Rakitin Oleg A. ^1,2

Affiliations

1	N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russia
2	Nanotechnology Education and Research Center, South Ural State University, 454080 Chelyabinsk, Russia
3	Department of Chemistry, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Høgskoleringen, 7491 Trondheim, Norway

The potential of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) based on synthesized D–A–π–A-type dyes with a 9-(p-tolyl)-2,3,4,4a,9,9a-hexahydro-1H-1,4-methanocarbazole building block as a donor fragment was explored. The influence of the structure of the internal acceptor and of the π-spacer on the optical and photovoltaic properties of the NIK series sensitizers was revealed. Dyes based on benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole, which is a stronger electron-withdrawing unit than 2,3-diphenylquinoxaline, showed a bathochromic shift of the absorption band corresponding to intermolecular charge transfer, and incorporation of the 4,4-diethylhexyl-4H-cyclopenta[2,1-b:3,4-b′]dithiophene π-bridge (NIK119) instead of thiophene (NIK88) resulted in the highest extinction coefficient among all the studied dyes in the UV-vis spectra. The presence of branched alkyl substituents in NIK119 as well as in NIK99 did not allow reaching a high absorption of these sensitizers on a TiO2 surface, so the solar cells based on them showed low short-circuit current values and, as a consequence, a low power conversion efficiency (PCE). On the other hand, the absence of bulky groups in the structure of the sensitizer sharply increases charge recombination and dye aggregation, which causes the dramatic drop in PCE for NIK88. The optimal ratio between the concentration of dyes on a TiO2 surface and the electronic effects of individual blocks was achieved for the NIK97 dye based on unsubstituted 2,3-diphenylquinoxaline, for which a PCE value of 5.68% was obtained using CDCA as a co-adsorbent.

Gudim N.S. , Mikhailov M.S. , Knyazeva E.A. , Almenningen D.M. , Mikhalchenko L.V. , Economopoulos S.P. , Rakitin O.A.
Monitoring the dependence of the photovoltaic properties of dye-sensitized solar cells from the structure of D–A–π–A-type sensitizers with a 9-(p-tolyl)-2,3,4,4a,9,9a-hexahydro-1H-1,4-methanocarbazole donor building block
Molecular Systems Design and Engineering. 2022. V.7. N7. P.755-766. DOI: 10.1039/d2me00025c WOS Scopus OpenAlex

Web of science:	WOS:000780422000001
Scopus:	2-s2.0-85128319643
OpenAlex:	W4226253016

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OpenAlex	7
Scopus	7
Web of science	9