Lithium-modulated conduction band edge shifts and charge-transfer dynamics in dye-sensitized solar cells based on a dicyanamide ionic liquid

Lithium ions are known for their potent function in modulating the energy alignment at the oxide semiconductor/dye/electrolyte interface in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs), offering the opportunity to control the associated multichannel charge-transfer dynamics. Herein, by optimizing the lithium iodide content in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide-based ionic liquid electrolytes, we present a solvent-free DSC displaying an impressive 8.4% efficiency at 100 mW cm(-2) AM1.5G conditions. We further scrutinize the origins of evident impacts of lithium ions upon current density-voltage characteristics as well as photocurrent action spectra of DSCs based thereon. It is found that, along with a gradual increase of the lithium content in ionic liquid electrolytes, a consecutive diminishment of the open-circuit photovoltage arises, primarily owing to a noticeable downward movement of the titania conduction band edge. The conduction band edge displacement away from vacuum also assists the formation of a more favorable energy offset at the titania/dye interface, and thereby leads to a faster electron injection rate and a higher exciton dissociation yield as implied by transient emission measurements. We also notice that the adverse influence of the titania conduction band edge downward shift arising from lithium addition upon photovoltage is partly compensated by a concomitant suppression of the triiodide involving interfacial charge recombination.     

N3-sensitized TiO2 films: in situ proton exchange toward open-circuit photovoltage enhancement

Protons of N3, cis-bis(thiocyanato)bis(2,2'-bipyridyl-4,4'-dicarboxylic acid)ruthenium(II), were in situ exchanged on N3-loaded TiO2 films with alkali-metal, tetrabutylammonium, and guanidinium cations. This simple strategy improved the open-circuit photovoltage (V(oc)) significantly, resulting in enhancement of the power conversion efficiency by 10-25%. Electrochemical impedance spectra revealed that the in situ proton exchange of the N3-loaded film suppressed charge recombination between injected electrons and I(3-) ions in the electrolyte, which, together with the negative shift of the conduction band edge for TiO2, may account for the remarkably increased V(oc) upon proton exchange of N3.     

Effect of a coadsorbent on the performance of dye-sensitized TiO2 solar cells: shielding versus band-edge movement

The mechanism by which the adsorbent chenodeoxycholate, cografted with a sensitizer onto TiO2 nanocrystals, alters the open-circuit photovoltage and short-circuit current of dye-sensitized solar cells was investigated. The influence of tetrabutylammonium chenodeoxycholate on dye loading was studied under a variety of conditions in which the TiO2 films were exposed to the sensitizing dye and coadsorbent. Photocurrent--voltage measurements combined with desorption studies revealed that adding chenodeoxycholate reduces the dye loading by as much as 60% while having a relatively small effect on the short-circuit photocurrent. Calculations along with measurements showed that even at low loading, enough dye is present to absorb a significant fraction of the incident light in the visible spectrum. In concurrence with the observations of others, we find evidence for weakly and strongly adsorbed forms of the dye resulting from either different binding conformations or aggregates. The most strongly adsorbed dyes are less susceptible to displacement by chenodeoxycholate than those that are weakly adsorbed. While having no observable effect on dye coverage, multiple exposures of a TiO2 film to a dye solution substantially increased the fraction of strongly adsorbed dye as judged by the resistance of the adsorbed dye to displacement by chenodeoxycholate. Measurements of the open-circuit voltage as a function of the photocharge density, determined by infrared transmittance, showed that chenodeoxycholate not only shifts the conduction band edge to negative potentials, but also significantly increases the rate of recombination. The net effect of adding chenodeoxycholate is, however, to improve the photovoltage.     

The effects of pyridine derivative additives on interface processes at nanocrystalline TiO2 thin film in dye‐sensitized solar cells

2‐Methyl‐4‐propoxypyridine, a new pyridine derivative, has been synthesized and used as an additive in the liquid electrolyte of dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Compared with 2‐methylpyridne and 4‐tert‐pyridine, they were employed to study the influence of the pyridine derivative additives on the rate of recombination at the electrode/dye/electrolyte interfaces and band edge shift of TiO₂, which were measured by time‐resolved mid‐infrared absorption spectroscopy and Mott–Schottky analysis, respectively. It was found that the rate of interfacial charge recombination was enhanced when the pyridine derivative additives were present in the electrolyte. Meanwhile, the additives caused a negative shift of the band edge. However, the net effect of pyridine derivative addition was to improve the open‐circuit photovoltage according to the photoelectrochemical measurement, indicating that negative shift of conduction band of TiO₂ was a predominant factor in improving the open‐circuit photovoltage. Also, the result was strongly supported by the dark current measurement. Therefore, it provides a microscopic account for the function of the pyridine derivative additives on the open‐circuit photovoltage enhancement of the DSSCs. Furthermore, the decrease of the short‐circuit photocurrent of the cells was also attributed to the slower dye regeneration due to the addition of additives from the results of cyclic voltammetry measurement. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Measuring charge transport from transient photovoltage rise times. A new tool to investigate electron transport in nanoparticle films

Charge transport rate at open-circuit potential (V(oc)) is proposed as a new characterization method for dye-sensitized (DS) and other nanostructured solar cells. At V(oc), charge density is flat and measurable, which simplifies quantitative comparison of transport and charge density. Transport measured at V(oc) also allows meaningful comparison of charge transport rates between different treatments, temperatures, and types of cells. However, in typical DS cells, charge transport rates at V(oc) often cannot be measured by photocurrent transients or modulation techniques due to RC limitations and/or recombination losses. To circumvent this limitation, we show that charge transport at V(oc) can be determined directly from the transient photovoltage rise time using a simple, zero-free-parameter model. This method is not sensitive to RC limitation or recombination losses. In trap limited devices, such as DS cells, the comparison of transport rates between different devices or conditions is only valid when the Fermi level in the limiting conductor is at the same distance from the band edge. We show how to perform such comparisons, correcting for conduction band shifts using the density of states (DOS) distribution determined from the same photovoltage transients. Last we show that the relationship between measured transport rate and measured charge density is consistent with the trap limited transport model.     

The role of n–p junction electrodes in minimizing the charge recombination and enhancement of photocurrent and photovoltage in dye sensitized solar cells

The composite electrode comprising n-type TiO₂ and p-type NiO oxides when sensitized with Ru-dye showed short-circuit photocurrent (I_sc) of 17 mA/cm² and open-circuit photovoltage (V_oc) of 730 mV compared to I_sc of 12 mA/cm² and 700 mV for TiO₂ electrodes. Formation of a n–p junction between TiO₂ and NiO oxide layers contributes to the enhanced photocurrent, photovoltage, fill factor and efficiency. In addition to the junction effect, NiO acts as a barrier for charge recombination leading to higher cell performance. The efficiency of the NiO coated TiO₂ solar cell is 30% more than that of bare TiO₂. The negative shift of the flat-band potential of the NiO coated TiO₂ electrode compared to TiO₂ also could be one of the reasons for higher photovoltage observed for TiO₂/NiO electrode. The highest cell efficiencies were obtained immersing TiO₂ thin films in Ni²⁺ solution and converting them to NiO by firing and the optimum NiO coating thickness was found to be only a few angstroms. The energy levels of the excited dye and the band positions of TiO₂ and NiO suggest that the electron transfer from the excited dye to the underlying n-type oxide layer occurs by tunneling through the p-type NiO layer.     

Determination of rate constants for charge transfer and the distribution of semiconductor and electrolyte electronic energy levels in dye-sensitized solar cells by open-circuit photovoltage decay method

A combination of electron lifetime measurement in nanoparticles as a function of the Fermi level position at high resolution in the potential scale with a new model to describe this dependence provides a powerful tool to study the microscopic processes and parameters governing recombination in dye-sensitized solar cells. This model predicts a behavior divided in three domains for the electron lifetime dependence on open-circuit voltage that is in excellent agreement with the experimental results: a constant lifetime at high photovoltage, related to free electrons; an exponential increase due to internal trapping and detrapping and an inverted parabolla at low photovoltage that corresponds to the density of levels of acceptor electrolyte species, including the Marcus inverted region.     

多吡啶钌染料和有机染料共染色的钴基敏化太阳电池

具有低费米能级的外球电子媒介体的开发带来了染料敏化太阳电池性能的重大进展.针对这种快复合器件,通过精细的调控二氧化钛表面的染料包覆层结构来有效抑制界面电荷复合是目前该领域的一个重要研究主题.在本文中,利用高吸收系数的多吡啶钌染料与具有三维立体结构的有机给受体染料对二氧化钛薄膜进行共染色.基于邻菲罗啉钴氧化还原电对,相对于纯钌基染料染色的器件,瞬态吸收与瞬态光电压衰减测试表明具有三维立体结构的有机染料的引入不仅提高了电子注入效率,还同时减慢了二氧化钛中的电子与氧化态染料及电解质中的电子受体之间的复合反应速率,使器件开路电压从808 mV提升到883 mV.这种界面光活性层微结构变化诱导的电子注入效率的改善和电荷复合的减慢还过补偿了因薄膜光吸收减弱带来的不利影响,获得了更大的光电流输出,在模拟AM1.5太阳光辐照条件下器件功率转换效率从8.5%提升到10.3%.     

长链双烷基次膦酸作为共吸附剂修饰TiO_2光阳极

对TiO2/染料/电解质界面进行修饰是提高染料敏化太阳电池(DSC)性能的有效手段,其中引入共吸附剂有机小分子和染料共同吸附在TiO2表面是一种简单有效提高DSC性能的方法.本文合成了长链的双正十二烷基次膦酸(DDdPA)作为染料的共吸附剂应用于染料敏化太阳电池.通过红外光谱(FT-IR)表征DDdPA在TiO2表面的吸附;借助电化学阻抗谱(EIS)及强度调制光电流谱(IMPS)/强度调制光电压谱(IMVS)等技术表征了电子的传输与复合动力学过程.研究发现,DDdPA可以很好地与染料共同吸附在TiO2表面;与二(3,3-二甲基丁基)次膦酸(DINHOP)相比,DDdPA的引入可以更好地抑制TiO2/染料/电解质界面处的电子复合;在优化浓度配比下,DDdPA的引入有效提高了器件的电子寿命,使TiO2导带边负移约30 mV,最终使器件的开路电压提高了47 mV,光电转换效率提升约10%.     

Photophysical and (photo)electrochemical properties of a coumarin dye

A new coumarin dye, cyano-{5,5-dimethyl-3-[2-(1,1,6,6-tetramethyl-10-oxo-2,3,5,6-tetrahydro-1H,4H,10H-11-oxa-3a-aza-benzo[de]anthracen-9-yl)vinyl]cyclohex-2-enylidene}-acetic acid (NKX-2753), was prepared and characterized with respect to photophysical and electrochemical properties. It was employed as a dye sensitizer in dye-sensitized solar cells and showed efficient photon-to-electron conversion properties. The photocurrent action spectrum exhibited a broad feature with a maximum incident photon-to-electron conversion efficiency (IPCE) of 84% at 540 nm, which is comparable to that for the famous red dye RuL2(NCS)2 (known as N3), where L stands for 2,2'-bipyridyl-4,4'-dicarboxylic acid. The sandwich-type solar cell with NKX-2753, under illumination of full sun (AM1.5, 100 mW cm(-2)), produced 16.1 mA cm(-2) of short-circuit photocurrent, 0.60 V of open-circuit photovoltage, and 0.69 of fill factor, corresponding to 6.7% of overall energy conversion efficiency using 0.1 M LiI, 0.05 M I2, 0.1 M guanidinium thiocyanate, and 0.6 M 1,2-dimethyl-3-n-propyl-imidazolium iodide in dry acetonitrile as redox electrolyte. In comparison with its analogue NKX-2586 (Langmuir 2004, 20, 4205), NKX-2753 with an extra side ring on the alkene chain produced much higher IPCE values at the same conditions. The side ring acted as a spacer to efficiently prevent dye aggregation when adsorbed on the TiO2 surface, resulting in significant improvements of short-circuit photocurrent, open-circuit photovoltage, and fill factor compared with NKX-2586 that aggregated on the TiO2 surface.     

动态复合对染料敏化太阳电池性能的影响

本文通过设计一种特殊的电池结构,动态改变电解液与导电玻璃（Tc0）的接触面积,固定Ti02薄膜面积,将TCO／OL解液界面与TiO2／电解液界面两种复合途径进行区分,从实验和理论两方面研究了复合途径变化对染料敏化太阳电池（DSC）性能的影响．采用电化学阻抗谱（EIS）表征界面电荷交换过程,研究了不同途径在复合中的作用机理．通过单色光下,1-V性能测试,对不同界面复合主导下的DSC二极管特性进行数值分析,探讨了复合过程中界面电荷交换变化对光电压（‰）的影响．研究结果表明,高光强下（Voc=700mV）改变TCO／电解液接触面积对复合影响不明显,DSC电子复合主要经由TiO2／电解液界面,电池具有明显的二极管特征;而弱光下（Voc〈400mV）增加TCO／电解液接触面积将使复合大幅增加,此时电荷交换由TCO／电解液界面主导,电池填充因子大幅降低,整流作用减弱．由于TCO／OL解液界面电荷交换明显慢于TiO2／电解液界面,通过同一电池一定光强范围内的光电压变化对比发现,高光强下光电压变化较慢,而弱光下光电压变化较快．     

Fluorine substituent effect on organic dyes for sensitized solar cells

Two sets of organic dyes containing a stilbene backbone with fluorine substituents were designed for a study on the quantum efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The results revealed that adding a fluorine substituent on the phenyl group ortho to the cyanoacrylate can enhance the light-harvesting performance in comparison with the unsubstituted one. However, when the two ortho-positions were both substituted by fluorine atoms, the performance of DSSCs was substantially reduced. The reason was mainly ascribed to a distortion from a planar geometry caused by steric hindrance. The π-conjugation was therefore disturbed, and the result led to a substantial reduction of the short-circuit photocurrent density (J_sc). Another effect was found that the open-circuit photovoltage (V_oc) of the doubly substituted derivative was lower than that of the mono-substituted one. The more flexible conformation of the difluoro-substituted dyes induced an undesired nonradiative decay, therefore led to a reduction of open-circuit photovoltage. The phenomenon can be verified by electrochemical impendence spectrum. The non-planar geometry was realized by a computation using the density function theory (DFT) model. The slight blue shift of absorption band was also consistent with the calculated transition energy by a time dependent DFT model.     

锌掺杂对TiO2染料敏化电池光阳极中电荷俘获态分布及电子复合过程的影响

基于瞬态光电压和瞬态光电流技术研究了锌掺杂的TiO2染料敏化太阳能电池中电子复合及传输的动力学行为.通过实验获得了不同阳极掺杂条件下的电子复合时间常数与电子收集时间常数,考察了锌掺杂对电池阳极材料导带能级和电子俘获态的影响.研究结果表明,锌的掺杂在提高TiO2导带能级的同时延长了俘获态电子的复合时间常数,从而大大提高了电池的开路电压.     

Double-layer coating of SrCO3/TiO2 on nanoporous TiO2 for efficient dye-sensitized solar cells

Surface modification plays a crucial role in improving the efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), but the reported surface treatments are in general superior to the untreated TiO(2) but inferior to the typical TiCl(4)-treated TiO(2) in terms of solar cell performance. This work demonstrates a two-step treatment of the nanoporous titania surface with strontium acetate [Sr(OAc)(2)] and TiCl(4) in order, each step followed by sintering. An electronically insulating layer of SrCO(3) is formed on the TiO(2) surface via the Sr(OAc)(2) treatment and then a fresh TiO(2) layer is deposited on top of the SrCO(3) layer via the TiCl(4) treatment, corresponding to a double layer of Sr(OAc)(2)/TiO(2) coated on the TiO(2) surface. As compared to the typical TiCl(4)-treated DSSC, the Sr(OAc)(2)-TiCl(4) treated DSSC improves short-circuit photocurrent (J(sc)) by 17%, open-circuit photovoltage (V(oc)) by 2%, and power conversion efficiency by 20%. These results indicate that the Sr(OAc)(2)-TiCl(4) treatment is better than the often used TiCl(4) treatment for fabrication of efficient DSSCs. Charge density at open circuit and controlled intensity modulated photocurrent/photovoltage spectroscopy reveal that the two electrodes show almost same conduction band level but different electron diffusion coefficient and charge recombination rate constant. Owing to the blocking effect of the SrCO(3) layer on electron recombination with I(3)(-) ions, the charge recombination rate constant of the Sr(OAc)(2)-TiCl(4) treated DSSC is half that of the TiCl(4)-treated DSSC, accounting well for the difference of their V(oc). The improved J(sc) is also attributed to the middle SrCO(3) layer, which increases dye adsorption and may improve charge separation efficiency due to the blocking effect of SrCO(3) on charge recombination.     

Charge transport versus recombination in dye-sensitized solar cells employing nanocrystalline TiO2 and SnO2 films

We report a comparison of charge transport and recombination dynamics in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) employing nanocrystalline TiO(2) and SnO(2) films and address the impact of these dynamics upon photovoltaic device efficiency. Transient photovoltage studies of electron transport in the metal oxide film are correlated with transient absorption studies of electron recombination with both oxidized sensitizer dyes and the redox couple. For all three processes, the dynamics are observed to be 2-3 orders of magnitude faster for the SnO(2) electrode. The origins of these faster dynamics are addressed by studies correlating the electron recombination dynamics to dye cations with chronoamperometric studies of film electron density. These studies indicate that the faster recombination dynamics for the SnO(2) electrodes result both from a 100-fold higher electron diffusion constant at matched electron densities, consistent with a lower trap density for this metal oxide relative to TiO(2), and from a 300 mV positive shift of the SnO(2) conduction band/trap states density of states relative to TiO(2). The faster recombination to the redox couple results in an increased dark current for DSSCs employing SnO(2) films, limiting the device open-circuit voltage. The faster recombination dynamics to the dye cation result in a significant reduction in the efficiency of regeneration of the dye ground state by the redox couple, as confirmed by transient absorption studies of this reaction, and in a loss of device short-circuit current and fill factor. The importance of this loss pathway was confirmed by nonideal diode equation analyses of device current-voltage data. The addition of MgO blocking layers is shown to be effective at reducing recombination losses to the redox electrolyte but is found to be unable to retard recombination dynamics to the dye cation sufficiently to allow efficient dye regeneration without resulting in concomitant losses of electron injection efficiency. We conclude that such a large acceleration of electron dynamics within the metal oxide films of DSSCs may in general be detrimental to device efficiency due to the limited rate of dye regeneration by the redox couple and discuss the implications of this conclusion for strategies to optimize device performance.     

SrTiO3/TiO2 Hybridstructure as Photoanode in Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cell

In dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), the charge recombination at the TiO₂/dye/electrolyte interface greatly influences the photoelectron conversion efficiency. Hybrid semiconductor materials with matched band potentials are designed to reduce the charge recombination. In this study, SrTiO₃/TiO₂ hybridstructure was synthesized by using TiO₂ nanoparticles as template in a hydrothermal, showing a negative shift in the flat band potential. The DSSC with the SrTiO₃/TiO₂ anode exhibits an increased photovoltage and a reduced photocurrent. The suppression of charge recombination at the TiO₂/dye/electrolyte interface was observed in the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, causing an improvement in the photovoltage. However, the SrTiO₃/TiO₂ system shows an obstructed electrons injection from the dye to SrTiO₃/TiO₂, limiting the photocurrent performance. The photoelectrochemical properties of the SrTiO₃/TiO₂ system are discussed in detail herein.     

Effects of tethering alkyl chains for amphiphilic ruthenium complex dyes on their adsorption to titanium oxide and photovoltaic properties

Ruthenium (II) complex dye, Ru(4,4'-dicarboxyl-2,2'-bipyridine)(4-nonyl-2,2'-bipyridine) (NCS)(2), (denoted as RuC9) tethering single alkyl chain was synthesized and well characterized. Its adsorption behavior onto the mesoporous TiO(2) and photovoltaic properties were compared with Z907 which has similar chemical structure but tethers two alkyl chains. RuC9 dyes tend to aggregate into vesicles in the acetonitrile/t-butanol co-solvent as a result of the amphiphilic structure, whereas Z907 dyes aggregate into lamellae. The dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) with RuC9 dye showed higher short-circuit photocurrent than that with Z907, attributing to its higher molar optical extinction coefficient and more adsorption amount onto the mesoporous TiO(2). However, the DSSC with Z907 dye has higher open-circuit photovoltage and power conversion efficiency, presumably due to the fact that Z907 with more alkyl chains formed a molecular layer with higher hydrophobicity. It reduced the charge recombination in the interface between the dye-sensitized mesoporous TiO(2) and electrolyte as verified by the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and intensity modulated photocurrent and photovoltage spectroscopies.     

Electron energy levels in semiconductor electrochemistry

The significance of the flat-band potential and the energetic position of the band edges at the semiconductor/electrolyte interface in semiconductor electrochemistry and photoelectrochemistry is pointed out. Different methods for determining these parameters experimentally are discussed, such as methods based on the measurement of the photovoltage or photocurrent, as well as the method for determining the flat-band potential from interfacial capacitance measurements. The capacitance-voltage relationship of the ideal semiconductor/electrolyte Schottky barrier is described. Subsequently, possible complications of the capacitance behavior are discussed, and conditions indicated under which the determination of the flat-band potential from non-ideal capacitance results is still possible. A critical survey is then given of flat-band data for some selected semiconductor electrodes (ZnO, CdS, GaP, GaAs, TiO₂, SrTiO₃), comprising a discussion of problems encountere, factors on which the flat-band potential depends and discrepancies between different results. Attempts to predict the flat-band potential and the position of the band edges from atomic electronegativity data are reviewed. The relationship between flat-band potential or band-edge position and electrochemical behaviour is considered, i.e., as far as the magnitude of the photovoltage as well as the electrochemical and photoelectrochemical reactivity are concerned.     

Calculation of activation energies for transport and recombination in mesoporous TiO2/dye/electrolyte films--taking into account surface charge shifts with temperature

Transient photovoltage and photocurrent measurements have been employed to determine the recombination and transport kinetics in operating dye-sensitized photovoltaic cells as a function of potential and temperature. Photocurrent transients have been taken at the open circuit potential, as opposed to the standard measurement at short circuit. Kinetic results have been used to calculate the activation energy as function of the Fermi level position in the TiO(2). In the calculation of activation energies, we have explicitly taken into account the temperature dependence of the offset between the electrolyte redox potential and the conduction band edge. This new method gives activation energies that decrease linearly as the Fermi level position moves toward the conduction band edge, as expected, but not found in previous studies. The results are consistent with the presence of a distribution of traps below the TiO(2) conduction band, the detrapping from which limits both the transport and the recombination of electrons.     

Design of organic dyes and cobalt polypyridine redox mediators for high-efficiency dye-sensitized solar cells

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) with cobalt-based mediators with efficiencies surpassing the record for DSCs with iodide-free electrolytes were developed by selecting a suitable combination of a cobalt polypyridine complex and an organic sensitizer. The effect of the steric properties of two triphenylamine-based organic sensitizers and a series of cobalt polypyridine redox mediators on the overall device performance in DSCs as well as on transport and recombination processes in these devices was compared. The recombination and mass-transport limitations that, previously, have been found to limit the performance of these mediators were avoided by matching the properties of the dye and the cobalt redox mediator. Organic dyes with higher extinction coefficients than the standard ruthenium sensitizers were employed in DSCs in combination with outer-sphere redox mediators, enabling thinner TiO(2) films to be used. Recombination was reduced further by introducing insulating butoxyl chains on the dye rather than on the cobalt redox mediator, enabling redox couples with higher diffusion coefficients and more suitable redox potential to be used, simultaneously improving the photocurrent and photovoltage of the device. Optimization of DSCs sensitized with a triphenylamine-based organic dye in combination with tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)cobalt(II/III) yielded solar cells with overall conversion efficiencies of 6.7% and open-circuit potentials of more than 0.9 V under 1000 W m(-2) AM1.5 G illumination. Excellent performance was also found under low light intensity indoor conditions.