Identification of different pathways of electron injection in dye-sensitised solar cells of electrodeposited ZnO using an indoline sensitiser.

Charge transfer dynamics in fully operational dye sensitised solar cells consisting of an electrolyte or organic spiroOMeTAD in contact with a highly porous electrodeposited ZnO film sensitised with a monolayer of the indoline dye DN216 were observed using ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy. From the temporal evolution of spectral signatures assigned with the help of spectroelectrochemical experiments to the population and depopulation of initial, transient and final states, a model was completed for the multistep injection of photoexcited electrons from the molecular absorber to the ZnO acceptor. Injection was found to occur via three different paths with three characteristic rates: directly from the dye's lowest unoccupied molecular orbital into the ZnO conduction band (200 fs) and via intermediate molecular dominated and surface dominated hybrid states (2 ps and 10 ps, respectively).

Novel near-infrared carboxylated 1,3-indandione sensitizers for highly efficient flexible dye-sensitized solar cells.

Three novel metal-free organic dyes (DN458, DN475 and DN484) were designed for use in plastic-substrate dye-sensitized solar cells (PDSCs). The photoelectric conversion region of DN475 was successfully expanded into the near-infrared region. As a result, an energy conversion efficiency of 5.

Ultrafast charge-transfer reactions of indoline dyes with anchoring alkyl chains of varying length in mesoporous ZnO solar cells.

Dye-sensitized solar cells based on a mesoporous ZnO substrate were sensitized with the indoline derivatives DN91, DN216 and DN285. The chromophore is the same for each of these dyes. They differ from each other in the length of an alkyl chain, which provides a second anchor to the ZnO surface and prolongs cell lifetime.

Photovoltaic characteristics and dye regeneration kinetics in D149-sensitized ZnO with varied dye loading and film thickness.

Porous ZnO electrodes on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) were prepared by electrochemical deposition from an O(2)-saturated ZnCl(2) solution in the presence of eosin Y as a structure directing agent (SDA). Sensitization was reached by desorption of the SDA and subsequent adsorption of the indoline dye D149. The influence of film thickness and dye concentration in the films on their photovoltaic characteristics, recombination, and dye regeneration kinetics was investigated.

Design of NIR-absorbing simple asymmetric squaraine dyes carrying indoline moieties for use in dye-sensitized solar cells with Pt-free electrodes.

Novel near-infrared (NIR)-sensitizing (up to 800 nm) simple asymmetric squaraine dyes (Sq 31 and Sq 33) carrying indoline moieties that did not require the introduction of any linker groups were developed. DSSCs fabricated with Sq 33 exhibited remarkable characteristics in the long-wavelength visible and NIR region (up to 800 nm), such as a conversion efficiency of 3.75% (AM 1.

Kinetics of electron recombination of dye-sensitized solar cells based on TiO2 nanorod arrays sensitized with different dyes.

The performance and electron recombination kinetics of dye-sensitized solar cells based on TiO(2) films consisting of one-dimensional nanorod arrays (NR-DSSCs) which are sensitized with dyes N719, C218 and D205, respectively, have been studied. It has been found that the best efficiency is obtained with the dye C218 based NR-DSSCs, benefiting from a 40% higher short-circuit photocurrent density. However, the open circuit photovoltage of the N719 based cell is 40 mV higher than that of the organic dye C218 and D205 based devices.

Application of highly ordered TiO2 nanotube arrays in flexible dye-sensitized solar cells.

TiO(2) nanotube arrays prepared by electrochemical anodization of Ti foils show impressive light to electricity conversion efficiency in the dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). The length of the TiO(2) nanotube arrays (5-14 microm) was controlled by varying the anodization time from 2 to 20 h. The influence of nanotube lengths on the photovoltaic performance of DSCs was investigated by impedance.

High-conversion-efficiency organic dye-sensitized solar cells with a novel indoline dye.

An indoline dye (D205), the synthesis method of which is disclosed in this report, gave high-efficiency organic dye-sensitized solar cells (9.52%) using an anti-aggregation reagent (chenodeoxycholic acid).

Characterization of solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells utilizing high absorption coefficient metal-free organic dyes.

Solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells were fabricated using the organic hole-transporting medium (HTM) 2,2'7,7'-tetrakis-(N,N-di-p-methoxyphenyl-amine)-9,9'-spirobifluorene (spiro-MeOTAD), and three organic indoline-based sensitizer dyes with high molar extinction coefficients. The cells were characterized by several techniques, including spectral response measurements, photovoltage decay transients, intensity modulated photovoltage spectroscopy (IMVS), and charge extraction. The differences in apparent electron lifetime observed for cells fabricated using the three dyes are attributed in part to changes in the surface dipole potential at the TiO2/spiro-MeOTAD interface, which shift the TiO2 conduction band energy relative to the Fermi level of the HTM.

High efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells based on metal-free indoline dyes.

We now report metal-free organic dyes having a new type of indoline structure, which exhibits high efficiencies in dye-sensitized solar cells. The solar energy to current conversion efficiencies with the new indoline dye was 6.51%.

Highly-efficient metal-free organic dyes for dye-sensitized solar cells.

A solar-to-electric conversion efficiency of 6.1% is achieved with this new dye, compared to 6.3% for N3 dye under the same experimental conditions.