Improving the heterointerface in hybrid organic–inorganic perovskite solar cells by surface engineering: Insights from periodic hybrid density functional theory calculations

A periodic hybrid density functional theory computational strategy is presented to model the heterointerface between the methylammonium lead iodide (MAPI) perovskite and titanium dioxide (TiO₂), as found in perovskite solar cells (PSC), where the 4-chlorobenzoic acid (CBA) ligand is used to improve the stability and the band alignment at the interface. The CBA ligand acts as a bifunctional linker to efficiently connect the perovskite and the oxide moieties, ensuring the stability of the interface through Ti–O and Pb–Cl interactions. The computed density of states reveals that the perovskite contributes to the top of the valence band while the oxide contributes to the bottom of the conduction band with a direct bandgap of 2.16 eV, indicating a possible electron transfer from MAPI to TiO₂. Dipole moment analysis additionally reveals that the CBA ligand can induce a favorable effect to improve band alignment and thus electron transfer from MAPI to TiO₂. This latter has been quantified by calculation of the spin density of the reduced MAPI/CBA/TiO₂ system and indicates an almost quantitative (99.94%) electron transfer from MAPI to TiO₂ for the surface engineered system, together with an ultrafast electron injection time in the femtosecond timescale. Overall, the proposed DFT-based computational protocol therefore indicates that surface engineering and the use of a bifunctional linker can lead to a better stability, together with improved band alignment and electron injection in PSC systems.     

Preparation of Cu-doped TiO2 via refluxing of alkoxide solution and its photocatalytic properties

Cu-doped TiO₂ was prepared by the refluxing of a mixture of copper and titanium alkoxides. The refluxing improved the Cu²⁺ dispersion in the TiO₂ and formed effective Ti–O–Cu bonds. The impurity states due to the highly dispersed Cu²⁺ were presumed to trap the electrons in the conduction band of the TiO₂ and prevent charge recombination of the electrons and holes. Consequently, the prolonged charge separation duration was suggested to enhance the photocatalytic activity of the Cu-doped TiO₂. This enhancement was confirmed by the hydroxyl radical generation and organic compound degradation. The Ti–O–Cu bonds and electronic interaction between Cu and Ti should effectively promote the electron trapping. The Cu-doped TiO₂ exhibited a visible light-induced activity due to the transition from the TiO₂ valence band to the Cu²⁺ impurity states.     

Surface photovoltage phase spectroscopy study of the photo-induced charge carrier properties of TiO2 nanotube arrays

By using the surface photovoltage(SPV) technique based on a lock-in amplifier,surface states located 3.1 eV below the conduction band of TiO 2 have been detected in TiO 2 nanotube arrays prepared by anodization of titanium foil in fluoride-based ethylene glycol solution.The photo-induced charge transportation behavior of TiO 2 nanotube arrays was also studied by qualitatively analyzing their SPV phase spectra measured under different external bias.When a negative bias was applied,carriers excited from surface states have the same transportation properties as those excited from the valence band;in contrast,when a positive bias was applied,these two kinds of photo-excited carriers exhibit different transportation behavior.     

Persistence of the three-state description of mixed valency at the localized-to-delocalized transition

Application of a semiclassical three-state model of mixed valency to complexes of the type [Ru(3)(μ(3)-O)(OAc)(6)(CO)(py)-(μ(2)-BL)-Ru(3)(μ(3)-O)(OAc)(6)(CO)(py)](-1), where BL = 1,4-pyrazine or 4,4'-bipyridine and py = 4-dimethylaminopyridine, pyridine, or 4-cyanopyridine is described. The appearance of two intervalence charge transfer (IVCT) bands in the near-infrared (NIR) region of the electronic spectra of these complexes is explained well by the three-state model. An important feature of the three-state model is that the IVCT band evolves into two bands: one that is metal-to-bridging-ligand-charge-transfer (MBCT) in character and another that is metal-to-metal-charge-transfer (MMCT) in character. The three-state model also fully captures the observed spectroscopic behavior in which the MBCT transition increases in energy and the MMCT band decreases in energy with increasing electronic communication in a series of mixed valence ions. The appearance of both the MBCT and MMCT bands is found to persist as coalescence of infrared (IR) vibrational spectra suggest a ground state delocalized on the picosecond time scale. The solvent and temperature dependence of the MBCT and MMCT electronic transitions defines the mixed valence complexes reported here as lying on the borderline of delocalization.     

Effect of Substituents in Catechol Dye Sensitizers on Photovoltaic Performance of Type II Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells

In order to provide a direction in molecular design of catechol (Cat) dyes for type II dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), the dye‐to‐TiO₂ charge‐transfer (DTCT) characteristics of Cat dyes with various substituents and their photovoltaic performance in DSSCs are investigated. The Cat dyes with electron‐donating or moderately electron‐withdrawing substituents exhibit a broad absorption band corresponding to DTCT upon binding to TiO₂ films, whereas those with strongly electron‐withdrawing substituents exhibit weak DTCT. This study indicates that the introduction of a moderately electron‐withdrawing substituent on the Cat moiety leads to not only an increase in the DTCT efficiency, but also the retardation of back electron transfer. This results in favorable conditions for the type II electron‐injection pathway from the ground state of the Cat dye to the conduction band of the TiO₂ electrode by the photoexcitation of DTCT bands.     

Electronic structures and absorption properties of three kinds of ruthenium dye sensitizers containing bipyridine-pyrazolate for solar cells

The geometries, electronic structures and the electronic absorption spectra of three kinds of ruthenium complexes, which contain tridentate bipyridine-pyrazolate ancillary ligands, were studied using density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT. The calculated results indicate that: (1) the strong conjugated effects are formed across the pyrazoalte-bipyridine groups; (2) the interfacial electron transfer between electrode and the dye sensitizers is an electron injection processes from the excited dyes to the conduction band of TiO2; (3) the absorption bands in visible region have a mixed character of metal-to-ligand charge transfer and ligand-to-ligand charge transfer, but the main character of absorption bands near UV region ascribe to π→π* transitions; (4) introducing pyrazolate and -NCS groups are favorable for intra-molecular charge transfer, and they are main chromophores that contribute to the sensitization of photon-to-current conversion processes, but introducing -Cl and the terminal group -CF3 are unfavorable to improve the dye performance in dye sensitized solar cells.     

Effect of voltage on the AC conductivity of Li4SiO4

The photoelectrochemical behaviour of a Ru-doped TiO₂ Crystal electrode of composition Ti_0.97Ru_0.03O₂ in contact with aqueous electrolytes has been investigated. The substitution of Ru⁴⁺ for Ti⁴⁺ in the TiO₂ lattice produces two main effects; (i) sensitization to visible light; (ii) reduction of the overpotential for O₂ evolution, both in the dark and under illumination. Ru⁴⁺ eneryg levels constitute a narrow cationic band between the O2_p valence band and the Ti3d conduction band, Ru⁴⁺ → Ti⁴⁺ electronic transitions being responsible for the subbandagap photoresponse. Besides Ru⁴⁺ ions at the semiconductor surface are easily oxidized under positive polarization of the electrode: the surface becomes charged positively and the Fermi level is pinned, which facilitates the transfer of charge from the filled levels of water molecules to the semiconductor conduction band, leading to O₂ evolution. The transient photocurrent-time behaviour observed, both under bandgap and subbandgap illumination, is compared with that of undoped TiO₂ and analyzed in terms of charge transfer at the semiconductor—electrolyte interface.     

Investigation of Electron Behavior in Nano‐TiO2 Photocatalysis by Using In Situ Open‐Circuit Voltage and Photoconductivity Measurements

The in situ open‐circuit voltages (V_oc) and the in situ photoconductivities have been measured to study electron behavior in photocatalysis and its effect on the photocatalytic oxidation of methanol. It was observed that electron injection to the conduction band (CB) of TiO₂ under light illumination during photocatalysis includes two sources: from the valence band (VB) of TiO₂ and from the methanol molecule. The electron injection from methanol to TiO₂ is slower than that directly from the VB, which indicates that the adsorption mode of methanol on the TiO₂ surface can change between dark and illuminated states. The electron injection from methanol to the CB of TiO₂ leads to the upshift of the Fermi level of electrons in TiO₂, which is the thermodynamic driving force of photocatalytic oxidation. It was also found that the charge state of nano‐TiO₂ is continuously changing during photocatalysis as electrons are injected from methanol to TiO₂. Combined with the apparent Langmuir–Hinshelwood kinetic model, the relation between photocatalytic kinetics and electrons in the TiO₂ CB was developed and verified experimentally. The photocatalytic rate constant is the variation of the Fermi level with time, based on which a new method was developed to calculate the photocatalytic kinetic rate constant by monitoring the change of V_oc with time during photocatalysis.     

Interaction of semiconductor colloids with J-aggregates of a squaraine dye and its role in sensitizing nanocrystalline semiconductor films

The role of bis(2,4,6-trihydroxyphenyl)squaraine, Sq, in sensitizing large bandgap semiconductors has been investigated in the present study. The dye in its aggregate form readily interacts with the TiO₂ colloids giving rise to a new charge transfer band in the red region. The apparent association constant for the dye aggregate and TiO₂ colloid as determined from a Benesi-Hildebrand plot is 1600 M^-1. Nanocrystalline semiconductor films prepared from TiO₂, ZnO, and SnO₂ colloids have been modified with Sq to probe the photosensitization effects. Both dye monomers and aggregates were found to participate in the charge injection process. An incident photon-to-photocurrent efficiency up to 0.7% has been observed.     

Redox system for perfluoroalkylation of arenes and α-methylstyrene derivatives using titanium oxide as photocatalyst

Photoirradiation of titanium oxide (TiO₂) excites the electrons from the valence band to the conduction band, leaving holes in the valence band. Using these holes and electrons, it is possible to perform one-electron oxidations and reductions. We developed a method for the photocatalytic perfluoroalkylation of aromatic rings such as benzene and its derivatives, naphthalene and benzofuran with perfluoroalkyl iodide by the combination of reduction and oxidation reactions with TiO₂. Perfluoroalkyl iodide was reduced to a perfluoroalkyl radical by the excited electrons in the conduction band of TiO₂, and the resulting radical reacted with an aromatic ring to form an arenium radical that was successively oxidized to a cation by the holes in the valence band of TiO₂. Similarly, the photocatalytic reaction of α-methylstyrene with perfluoroalkyl iodide afforded perfluoroalkylated α-methylstyrene, in which the perfluoroalkyl group is on a methyl carbon.     

Role of electronic structure of ruthenium polypyridyl dyes in the photoconversion efficiency of dye‐sensitized solar cells: Semiempirical investigation

ZINDO/S calculations on cis‐Ru(4,4′‐dicarboxy‐2,2′‐bipyridine)₂(X)₂ and cis‐Ru(5,5′‐dicarboxy‐2,2′‐bipyridine)₂(X)₂ complexes where X = Cl^?, CN^?, and NCS^? reveal that the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) of these complexes has a large amplitude on both the nonchromophoric ligand X and the central ruthenium atom. The lowest‐energy metal to ligand charge transfer (MLCT) transition in these complexes involves electron transfer from ruthenium as well as the halide/pseudohalide ligand to the polypyridyl ligand. The contribution of the halide/pseudohalide ligand(X) to the HOMO affects the total amount of charge transferred to the polypyridyl ligand and hence the photoconversion efficiency. The virtual orbitals involved in the second MLCT transition in 4,4′‐dicarboxy‐2,2′‐bipyridine complexes have higher electron density on the ? COOH group compared to the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital and hence a stronger electronic coupling with the TiO₂ surface and higher injection efficiency at shorter wavelengths. In comparison, the virtual orbitals involved in the second MLCT transition in 5,5′‐dicarboxy‐2,2′‐bipyridine complexes have lesser electron density on the ? COOH group, leading to a weaker electronic coupling with the TiO₂ surface and therefore lower efficiency for electron injection at shorter wavelengths for these complexes. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2002     

Photoelectron Spectroscopic Study of Methanol Adsorbed Rutile TiO2(110) Surface

Methanol/TiO₂(110) is a model system in the surface science study of photocatalysis where methanol is taken as a hole capture. However, the highest occupied molecular orbital of adsorbed methanol lies below the valence band maximum of TiO₂, preventing the hole transfer. To study the level alignment of this system, electronic structure of methanol covered TiO₂(110) surface has been measured by ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy and the molecular orbitals of adsorbed methanol have been clearly identified. The results indicate the weak interaction between methanol and TiO₂ substrate. The static electronic structure also suggests the mismatch of the energy levels. These static experiments have been performed without band gap excitation which is the prerequisite of a photocatalytic process. Future study of the transient electronic structure using time-resolved UPS has also been discussed.     

金红石相TiO2纳米棒的氢化处理及其光催化活性

以钛酸四丁酯为钛源,通过盐酸调制的水热法制备出了具有棒状结构的金红石相纳米TiO₂,并进一步进行高温氢化处理. 采用X射线衍射（XRD）,透射电镜（TEM）,紫外-可见-近红外漫反射（UV-Vis-NIR DRS）,电子顺磁共振（EPR）和表面光伏（SPS）等测试手段对样品进行表征,以气相乙醛和液相苯酚为目标污染物考察催化剂的光催化活性. 结果表明：随着高温氢化处理时间的延长,TiO₂样品的可见光吸收逐渐增强,其颜色逐渐由白色转变成灰色,这主要与引入的Ti³⁺/氧空位缺陷有关. 表面光电压谱和羟基自由基测试表明,适当时间的氢化处理有利于光生电荷的分离. 在光催化氧化降解气相乙醛和液相苯酚过程中,经适当时间氢化处理的样品表现出高的可见光催化活性. 并且可见光催化活性的规律与紫外光下的是一致的. 这是因为氢化处理后在导带底下方引入了缺陷能级,拓展了可见光响应. 过度的氢化处理会在TiO₂导带下方引入较低的缺陷能级,使光生电荷的复合加剧,导致光催化活性降低.     

Extensive Reduction in Back Electron Transfer in Twisted Intramolecular Charge‐Transfer (TICT) Coumarin‐Dye‐Sensitized TiO2 Nanoparticles/Film: A Femtosecond Transient Absorption Study

We report the synthesis, characterization, and optical and electrochemical properties of two structurally similar coumarin dyes ( C1 and C2 ). These dyes have been deployed as sensitizers in TiO₂ nanoparticles and thin films, and the effect of molecular structure on interfacial electron‐transfer dynamics has been studied. Steady‐state optical absorption, emission, and time‐resolved emission studies on both C1 and C2 , varying the polarity of the solvent and the solution pH, suggest that both photoexcited dyes exist in a locally excited (LE) state in solvents of low polarity. In highly polar solvents, however, C1 exists in an intramolecular charge‐transfer (ICT) state, whereas C2 exists in both ICT and twisted intramolecular charge‐transfer (TICT) states, their populations depending on the degree of polarity of the solvent and the pH of the solution. We have employed femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy to monitor the charge‐transfer dynamics in C1 ‐ and C2 ‐sensitized TiO₂ nanoparticles and thin films. Electron injection has been confirmed by direct detection of electrons in the conduction band of TiO₂ nanoparticles and of radical cations of the dyes in the visible and near‐IR regions of the transient absorption spectra. Electron injection in both the C1 /TiO₂ and C2 /TiO₂ systems has been found to be pulse‐width limited (<100 fs); however, back‐electron‐transfer (BET) dynamics has been found to be slower in the C2 /TiO₂ system than in the C1 /TiO₂ system. The involvement of TICT states in C2 is solely responsible for the higher electron injection yield as well as the slower BET process compared to those in the C1 /TiO₂ system. Further pH‐dependent experiments on C1 ‐ and C2 ‐sensitized TiO₂ thin films have corroborated the participation of the TICT state in the slower BET process in the C2 /TiO₂ system.     

Influence of Zn(II) adsorption on the photocatalytic activity and the production of H2O2 over irradiated TiO2

The photocatalytic activity of semiconductor oxides, in particular TiO₂ powders or colloids, is a complex function of bulk (light absorption and scattering, charge carrier mobility and recombination rate) and surface (structure, defects and reconstruction, charge, presence of adsorbate, surface recombination centers) properties. Among surface modifications, the inner sphere surface complexation of metal cations can change the surface charge of the metal oxide, thus changing the surface activity coefficient of ionic substrates, the band edge positions, as well as the mechanism and kinetic of interfacial electron transfer by blocking surface trapping sites for photogenerated carriers (≡Ti?OH). In this work we show that in anatase/water systems under band-gap irradiation, both the organic substrate (formate) oxidation initiated by photogenerated valence band holes and the formation of hydrogen peroxide from O₂ reduction (by conduction band electrons) is strongly influenced by the presence of Zn²⁺ cations. Depending on the pH, the formate oxidation rate can be enhanced or nearly completely inhibited. The observed result can be rationalized by considering the fraction of ≡Ti?OH surface sites blocked by inner sphere complexation of Zn²⁺ as a function of pH. When this fraction is low, the more positive surface charge favors formate oxidation, whereas when the fraction is high the almost complete blockage of ≡Ti?OH surface sites by Zn²⁺ stops almost entirely formate oxidation. Interestingly, the surface complexation of Zn²⁺ is accompanied by an increasing production of H₂O₂ during formate degradation in the presence of O₂. Zn(II) cations are not complexed by peroxide/superoxide species derived from O₂ reduction. When ≡Ti?OH sites are blocked by Zn²⁺, the complexation on the TiO₂ surface of peroxide/superoxide species is inhibited, hindering their further transformation. The results presented demonstrate that the combined effect of pH and surface complexation of redox inert cations greatly influences both the oxidative and reductive processes during the photocatalytic process over TiO₂.     

Investigation of the silicon concentration effect on Si-doped anatase TiO2 by first-principles calculation

A first-principles calculation based on the density functional theory (DFT) was used to investigate the energetic and electronic properties of Si-doped anatase TiO₂ with various silicon concentrations. The theoretical calculations showed that with Si-doping the valence band and conduction band of TiO₂ became hybrid ones with large dispersion, which could benefit the mobility of the photo-generated carriers. This result is in agreement with the experimental reports. At lower doping levels, the band gap of Si-doped anatase TiO₂ decreases about 0.2 eV. With the increase of silicon concentration, the band gap increases gradually and larger formation energies are required during the synthesis of Si-doped TiO₂.     

Understanding the Electronic Structures of Graphene Quantum Dot Physisorption and Chemisorption onto the TiO2 (110) Surface: A First‐Principles Calculation

We investigated the interfacial electronic structure and charge transfer properties of graphene quantum dot (GQD) physisorption and chemisorption on the TiO₂ (110) surface from density functional theory calculations. The simulations show that a slight charge transfer occurs in physisorption case while a significant charge transfer takes place in chemisorption configuration. We present a detailed comparison of the similarities and differences between the electronic structures. The similarities originate from the positive work function difference in both the physisorption and chemisorption configurations, which is able to drive electron transfer from GQD into TiO₂, leading to charge separation across the GQD–TiO₂ interface. The differences stem from the interaction between the GQD and TiO₂ substrate. For example, GQD bounds to TiO₂ surface through van der Waals interactions in the case of physisorption. In the chemisorption configuration, however, there exists strong covalent bonding between them. This leads to much more efficient charge separation for chemisorption than for physisorption. Furthermore, the GQD–TiO₂ composites show large band‐gap narrowing that could extend the optical absorption edge into the visible‐light region. This should imply that chemisorbed GQDs produce a composite with better photocatalytic and photovoltaic performance than composites formed through physisorption.     

Charge accumulation kinetics in multi-redox molecular catalysts immobilised on TiO2

Multi-redox catalysis requires the accumulation of more than one charge carrier and is crucial for solar energy conversion into fuels and valuable chemicals. In photo(electro)chemical systems, however, the necessary accumulation of multiple, long-lived charges is challenged by recombination with their counterparts. Herein, we investigate charge accumulation in two model multi-redox molecular catalysts for proton and CO₂ reduction attached onto mesoporous TiO₂ electrodes. Transient absorption spectroscopy and spectroelectrochemical techniques have been employed to study the kinetics of photoinduced electron transfer from the TiO₂ to the molecular catalysts in acetonitrile, with triethanolamine as the hole scavenger. At high light intensities, we detect charge accumulation in the millisecond timescale in the form of multi-reduced species. The redox potentials of the catalysts and the capacity of TiO₂ to accumulate electrons play an essential role in the charge accumulation process at the molecular catalyst. Recombination of reduced species with valence band holes in TiO₂ is observed to be faster than microseconds, while electron transfer from multi-reduced species to the conduction band or the electrolyte occurs in the millisecond timescale. Finally, under light irradiation, we show how charge accumulation on the catalyst is regulated as a function of the applied bias and the excitation light intensity.

Using transient spectroelectrochemical techniques, we investigate multiply reduced states of molecular catalysts on titania photoelectrodes as a function of the applied bias and the light intensity.     

Photoinduced electron transfer in some photosensitive molecules-incorporated semiconductor/zeolites: New photocatalytic systems

An intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) molecule,p-N,N-dimethyl-aminobenzoic acid (DMABA) has been studied in zeolite and colloidal media. The ratio of ICT to normal emission (ICT/LE) is greatly enhanced in zeolites compared to that in polar solvents. The ICT emission of DMABA was quenched by increasing the concentration of TiO₂ colloids, while the normal emission was slightly enhanced. Upon illumination of the heteropoly acid (HPA) incorporated TiO₂ colloids, interfacial electron transfer takes place from the conduction band of TiO₂ to the incorporated HPA which is also excited to catalyze the photoreduction of Methyl Orange. It is found that the interfacial electron transfer mechanism of HPA/TiO₂ is quite analogous to the Z-scheme mechanism for plant photosynthetic systems. In DMABA-adsorbed TiO₂/Y-zeolite the ICT/LE ratio of DMABA is quite small implying that electron transfer takes place from DMABA to the conduction band of TiO₂. This results in drastic enhancement in the photocatalytic activity of DMABA-adsorbed TiO₂/Y-zeolite compared to free TiO₂/Y-zeolite.     

Electronic and optical properties of α‐MoO3/TiO2 heterostructures: A DFT study

The coupling of metal oxide semiconductors has become an effective method to improve the separation of photon‐generated carriers and light absorption efficiency. In this study, we explored electronic and optical properties of monolayer and bilayer α‐MoO₃ on TiO₂ (001) surface. It is observed that α‐MoO₃/TiO₂ heterostructures can form a stable Mo‐O‐Ti bonding mode at the interface. Electrons transfer from TiO₂ (001) surface to the α‐MoO₃, leading to the enhancement of the valence band and the optical absorption spectrum in visible light region. In addition, this proper charge transfer generates a built‐in electric field between the interface regions of bilayer α‐MoO₃/TiO₂ heterostructure and forms a favorable type‐II band alignment between the two α‐MoO₃ layers. The α‐MoO₃/TiO₂ heterostructure can prevent the recombination of the electron‐hole pairs; thus, excite electrons can easily move from TiO₂ to the inner layer, and then to the outer layer of α‐MoO₃. These results demonstrate that the bilayer α‐MoO₃/TiO₂ heterostructure, especially the outer layer α‐MoO₃, has efficient photoelectric performance.