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High‐Performance Organic Materials for Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells : Triarylene‐Linked Dyads with a 4‐ tert ‐Butylphenylamine Donor
Author(s) -
Chang Yuan Jay,
Chou PoTing,
Lin SzuYu,
Watanabe Motonori,
Liu ZhiQian,
Lin JuLing,
Chen KewYu,
Sun ShihSheng,
Liu ChingYang,
Chow Tahsin J.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
chemistry – an asian journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.18
H-Index - 106
eISSN - 1861-471X
pISSN - 1861-4728
DOI - 10.1002/asia.201100777
Subject(s) - dye sensitized solar cell , photocurrent , energy conversion efficiency , carbazole , phenylene , electron donor , photochemistry , chemistry , thiophene , short circuit , open circuit voltage , acceptor , materials science , organic chemistry , electrolyte , catalysis , voltage , optoelectronics , electrode , physics , quantum mechanics , condensed matter physics , polymer
Abstract A series of organic dyes were prepared that displayed remarkable solar‐to‐energy conversion efficiencies in dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). These dyes are composed of a 4‐ tert ‐butylphenylamine donor group (D), a cyanoacrylic‐acid acceptor group (A), and a phenylene‐thiophene‐phenylene (PSP) spacer group, forming a D‐π‐A system. A dye containing a bulky tert ‐butylphenylene‐substituted carbazole (CB) donor group showed the highest performance, with an overall conversion efficiency of 6.70 %. The performance of the device was correlated to the structural features of the donor groups; that is, the presence of a tert ‐butyl group can not only enhance the electron‐donating ability of the donor, but can also suppress intermolecular aggregation. A typical device made with the CB‐PSP dye afforded a maximum photon‐to‐current conversion efficiency (IPCE) of 80 % in the region 400–480 nm, a short‐circuit photocurrent density J sc =14.63 mA cm −2 , an open‐circuit photovoltage V oc =0.685 V, and a fill factor FF=0.67. When chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) was used as a co‐absorbent, the open‐circuit voltage of CB‐PSP was elevated significantly, yet the overall performance decreased by 16–18 %. This result indicated that the presence of 4‐ tert ‐butylphenyl substituents can effectively inhibit self‐aggregation, even without CDCA.