Efficiency enhancement of solid‐state dye sensitized solar cell by in situ deposition of CuI

Solid‐state dye‐sensitized solar cells based on nanocrystalline TiO₂ thin film with the structures TiO₂/dye/CuI/Pt and TiO₂/dye/In situ CuI/CuI/Pt were developed in order to compare the use of In situ deposited CuI (In situ CuI). Porosity of the screen‐printed nanoporous TiO₂ thin film was enhanced by the addition of polystyrene balls. Evidence of decrease in interfacial resistance was observed by electrochemical impedance measurement for the device with In situ deposited CuI as compared to that without In situ deposited CuI as hole conductor. This was attributed to good interfacial contacts and better charge transfer between CuI and dye‐sensitized TiO₂ nanoparticles, which resulted in the enhancement of power conversion efficiency from 0.058 to 1.01%. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Application of the Organic Photosensitizers Bearing Two Carboxylic Acid Groups to Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells

Three electron donor‐?? bridge‐electron acceptor (D‐π‐A) organic dyes bearing two carboxylic acid groups were applied to dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSC) as sensitizers, in which one triphenylamine or modified triphenylamine and two rhodanine‐3‐acetic acid fragments act as D and A, respectively. It was found that the introduction of t‐butyl or methoxy group in the triphenylamine subunit could lead to more efficient photoinduced intramolecular charge transfer, thus improving the overall photoelectric conversion efficiency of the resultant DSSC. Under global AM 1.5 solar irradiation (73 mW·cm^?2), the dye molecule based on methoxy‐substituted triphenylamine achieved the best photovoltaic performance: a short circuit photocurrent density (J_sc) of 12.63 mA·cm^?2, an open circuit voltage (V_oc) of 0.55 V, a fill factor (FF) of 0.62, corresponding to an overall efficiency (η) of 5.9%.     

Curcuminoid Ligands for Sensitization of Near-Infrared Lanthanide Emission

Fluorescent lanthanide complexes were synthesized using a non-phenolic analog of curcumin as the principal chromophoric chelating ligand. Sensitized, near-infrared fluorescence is observed in these complexes as a result of photo-excitation of the chromophoric ligands, population of the molecular triplet state, and transfer of energy to the emitting lanthanide ion. For the purpose of intra-molecular energy transfer, the triplet states of curcuminoid ligands are more favorably matched with the excited electronic states of neodymium and ytterbium ions than those associated with less conjugated β-diketonate ligands. Sensitization of fluorescence through an internal redox reaction, thought to occur in other ytterbium complexes, is predicted to be less probable under the present circumstances.     

铜锌锡硫的合成及其光电应用

铜锌锡硫(CZTS)半导体常作为对电极材料被应用于量子点敏化太阳能电池(QDSCs)中,然而效率一直低于4%。本文采用热注入法合成出纳米尺寸的CZTS并制成对电极(CZTS/FTO),用其组装的Cd Se QDSCs和Cd Se Te QDSCs的效率(PCE)分别达到了5.75%和7.64%。电化学阻抗谱、塔菲尔极化等表征证明电池效率的提高与CZTS良好的导电性及催化活性联系密切。     

Organic Dyes Containing a 1,3‐indandione Moiety as Light Harvesting Materials

Organic dipolar compounds containing a 1,3‐indandione‐5,6‐dicarboxylic acid moiety as an electron acceptor group were examined for the feasibility of using as the light harvesting material in dye‐sensitized solar cells. Two compounds with triphenylamine donor moieties were synthesized by attaching it to 1,3‐indandione‐5,6‐dicarboxylic acid. The device made with these simple dyes achieved a quantum yield up to 2.5 %, which is comparable to the widely used dye made with cyanoacrylic acid. The spectroscopic properties of these compounds were analysed with the aid of theoretical models according to the time‐dependent density functional theory.     

Monitoring ultrathin film photopolymerization of tetra‐alkylepoxyporphyrin by UV‐Vis spectroscopy

Cationic photopolymerization is a convenient in situ polymerization method for organic thin film preparation. In this work, the polymerization mechanisms is applied for highly viscous cross‐linking monomers, using tetra‐alkylepoxyporphyrin (TAEP) as a case study. By comparing the UV‐Vis spectra of the polymerized sample before and after the unreacted monomers have been dissolved, it is possible to estimate the polymerization yield. An IR spectrum of a reference thick film confirms full polymerization. Scanning fluorescence lifetime microscopy and AFM show the uniformity of the polymer. It was shown that photopolymerization is highly dependent on the substrate nature and requires at best case a 10 min illumination at 90 °C. Thermal polymerization of the same sample requires 10 min heating at 150 °C in dark. It was also shown that TAEP works as a self‐sensitizer for cationic photopolymerization. The proposed method is a mild and versatile technique for in situ preparation of thin polymeric films directly from chromophore monomers. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 6095–6103, 2009     

Tin Dioxide Nanowires: Evolution and Perspective of the Doped and Nondoped Systems

SnO₂ semiconductor nanowire is an extremely important technological material for use in nanophotonic and nanoelectronic devices. These semiconductor nanowires of desirable property can be achieved through a bottom-up approach to the controlled synthesis in a pure or doped state. Each of the synthetic methods offers materials with broad range structural, morphological, optical, and electrical properties. Selective doping of the SnO₂ nanowires by normal, transition or inner transition elements offer a broad variation in the optical and electrical properties and are open for further theoretical exploration of the properties as well as necessary changes possible for the improvement of the material properties. The properties of SnO₂ nanowires can be tuned either in the pure state by structural modification or doping during nanowire growth or after growth to meet most of the requirements.