Titania Nanostructures for Dye-sensitized Solar Cells

Titania is one kind of important materials, which has been extensively investigated because of its unique electronic and optical properties. Research efforts have largely focused on the optimization of the dye,but recently the titania nanostructures electrode itself has attracted more attention. It has been shown that particle size, shape, crystallinity, surface morphology, and chemistry of the TiO_2 material are key parameters which should be controlled for optimized performance of the solar cell. Titania can be found in different shape of nanostructures including mesoporous, nanotube, nanowire, and nanorod structures. The present article reviews the structural, synthesis, electronic, and optical properties of TiO_2 nanostructures for dye sensitized solar cells.

New tetrazole-based organic dyes for dye-sensitized solar cells

A series of new metal-free organic dyes that contain donors with triphenylamine or its derivatives and tetrazole-based acceptors were synthesized and characterized by photophysical, electrochemical, and the- oretical computational methods. They were applied in nanocrystalline TiO2 solar cells （DSSCs）. It is found that the introduction of diphenylamine units as antennas in the as-synthesized dyes could improve photo- voltaic performance compared with phenothiazine and carbazole units as antennas in DSSCs. The dye with （2H-tetrazol-5-yl） acrylonitrile electron acceptor also displayed the highest solar-to-electrical energy conver- sion efficiency.

Hierarchical TiO2 Flower-spheres with Large Surface Area and High Scattering Ability： an Excellent Candidate for High Efficiency Dye Sensitized Solar Cells

Hierarchical TiO2 flower-spheres assembled from porous nanosheets-stacked of nanoparticles were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method with one-step. The as-prepared TiO2 flower-spheres showed a diameter range from 200 nm to 550 nm and a large surface area of 188 m^2/g. A double layer photoanode made of P25 nano- particles and as-prepared TiO2 flower-spheres was fabricated for the dye sensitized solar cells（DSSCs）. The efficient light scattering and dye absorption of the photoanode can be attributed to the top-layer of hierarchical TiO2 flower-spheres. DSSCs based on the double layers photoanode exhibit a higher energy conversion efficiency of 8.11% with a short-circuit photocurrent density of 17.87 mA/cm^2, indicating that there is an increase of 38% in the conversion efficiency compared to those based on electrode P25（5.91%, 14.09 mA/cm^2）.

Solution-Processed Graphene Composite Films as Freestanding Platinum-Free Counter Electrodes for Bendable Dye Sensitized Solar Cells

Sulfuric acid-treated poly（3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene）：poly（styrenesulfonate）/less-defective reduced graphene oxide （ST-PEDOT：PSS/L-rGO） composite films were prepared via a solution-processing route and used as the counter electrodes of dye sensitized solar cells （DSSCs）. These platinum （Pt）- and transparent conductive oxide （TCO）-free counter electrodes exhibited strong catalytic activity and excellent flexibility, showing no obvious change in their sheet resistances after 10000 cycles of bending. The integrated quasi-solid-state DSSC device with a TiO2 nanotube/Ti mesh photoanode and a ST-PEDOT：PSS/L-rGO counter electrode exhibited an energy conversion efficiency （~/） of about 1.8%. It also displayed an excellent mechanical stability and durability after bending for 1000 cycles at a small curvature radius of 10 mm. The high flexibility, low cost and efficient catalytic activity make ST-PEDOT：PSS/L-rGO composite films promising counter electrodes for flexible DSSCs.

Composite Electrode SnO_2/TiO_2 for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Composite nanoporous electrode SnO2/TiO2 was fabricated for the dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) with N3 (Cis-Ru). After introducing of TiO2, the open-circuit photovoltage (Voc) was higher than that of the pure SnO2 electrode, while short-circuit photocurrent (Isc) was varied with the ratio of the TiO2. Appropriate content of the TiO2 can be beneficial to the efficiency of the solar cell, and it gives negative impact on the composite electrode when the content of TiO2 is higher.

Solar cells based on doubly concerted companion dyes with the efficiencies modulated by inserting an ethynyl group at different positions

To develop efficient sensitizers for dye-sensitized solar cells(DSSCs),we recently reported doubly concerted companion(DCC)dye XW83 with a wrapped porphyrin sub-dye unit linked to an organic sub-dye unit through a flexible chain,which exhibits panchromatic absorption and excellent anti-aggregation ability.To further improve the absorption,we herein report XW87 and XW88 by inserting an ethynyl group into the organic sub-dye unit of XW83 near the donor and acceptor,respectively.For the corresponding organic dyes Z3 and Z4,the introduced ethynyl group improves their absorption,but induces aggravated charge recombination,leading to lowered power conversion efficiencies(PCEs).Similar to the organic dyes,the introduced ethynyl group improves the absorption of DCC dyes XW87 and XW88 as well.In addition,the ethynyl group near the acceptor of the organic sub-dye unit can be well protected by the long wrapping chains from the porphyrin unit.As a result,XW88 affords the highest JSC(21.84 mA/cm^(2)),V_(OC)(782 mV)and PCE(12.2%)among the DCC dyes.These results provide an effective method for developing efficient DSSC dyes by inserting an ethynyl group at a suitable position of a DCC dye.

Double-layered TiO_(2) cavity/nanoparticle photoelectrodes for efficient dye-sensitized solar cells

TiO_(2) nanoparticles(NPs)in the size of-25 nm,namely P25,are very common material as the electron collecting layer in dye-sensitized solar cells(DSsCs).However,the light-scattering improvement of TiO2 NP photoelectrodes is stll a challenge.Here,we built TiO2 cavities on the top of the TiO2 NP layer by using carbonaceous microspheres as the template,forming the TiO_(2) cavity/nanoparticle(C/NP)photoelectrode for the application in DSSCs.The cavity amount in the TiO_(2) C/NP photoelectrode was controlled by adjusting the weight ratio of carbonaceous microspheres.SEM results confirm the successful formation of the double-layered TiO_(2) C/NP electrode.J-V tests show that the optimized TiO_(2) C/NP electrode prepared with 25 wt.%carbonaceous microspheres contributes to remarkable improvement of the short-circuit current density(Jsc)and the power conversion efficiency(PcE).The best photovoltaic performance solar cell with the PCE of 9.08%is achieved with the optimized TiO_(2) C/NP photoelectrode,which is over 98% higher than that of the TiO_(2) NP photoelectrode.Further investigations of UV-vis DRS,IPCE,OCVD,and EIS demonstrate that the competition between light scattering effect and charges recombination in this TiO_(2) C/NP photoelectrode is responsiblefor the PCE enhancement.

Analysis on dye-sensitized solar cells based on Fe-doped TiO_2 by intensity-modulated photocurrent spectroscopy and Mott-Schottky

The pure TiO2 and Fe salts [Fe（C2O4）3,5H2O]-doped TiO2 electrodes were prepared by the hydrothermal method. The pure TiO2 or Fe-doped TiO2 slurry was coated onto the fluorine-doped tin oxide glass substrate by the Doctor Blade method and then sintered at 450 ℃. The Mott-Schottks, plot indicates that the fiat band potential of TiO2 was shifted positively after Fe-doped TiO2. The positive shift of the fiat band potential improves the driving force of injected electrons from the LUMO of the dye to the conduction band of TiO2. This study shows that photovoltaic efficiency increased by 22.9% from 6.07% to 7.46% compared to pure TiO2, and the fill factors increased from 0.53 to 0.63.

Efficient dye-sensitized solar cells based on concerted companion dyes:Systematic optimization of thiophene units in the organic dye components

To develop efficient concerted companion(CC)dyes for fabricating high-performance DSSCs,three organic dyes XL1-XL3 have been designed by varying the position and number of theβ-hexylthiophene(HT)bridges,and these organic dye units are covalently linked with our previously reported porphyrin dye XW10 to construct the corresponding CC dyes XW74-XW76.Among the organic dyes,XL3 contains twoβ-hexylthiophene units at both the donor and acceptor parts and thus possesses stronger light-harvesting capability in the green light region.Because of the most complementary absorption between XL3 and XW10 as well as the excellent photovoltaic behavior of the individual XL3 dye,the corresponding CC dye XW76 affords the best PCE(10.78%)among all the CC dyes.Upon coadsorption with CDCA,XW76 affords a highest PCE of 11.35%,which outperforms the previous cosensitization system of XW10+WS-5.This work provides an approach for developing efficient DSSCs based on CC dyes composed of an organic dye unit with suitableπspacers inserted at appropriate positions.

Improving photoelectrochemical activity of dye sensitized solar cell by a bilayered electrode with an overlayer of mesoporous anatase TiO_2

For better performance of dye sensitized solar cells （DSSCs）, a bilayer structured electrode was constructed by employing a mesoporous anatase TiO2 overlayer above a commercial P25 TiO2 nanoparticles underlayer. The mesoporous anatase TiO2, prepared through a facile surfactant-assisted sol-gel process, possessed large pore size and well inter-connected network structure, both beneficial for dye adsorption and electron transfer. The dye adsorption capability of the mesoporous TiO2 was nearly twice that of the P25 counterpart. In the electrode, the mesoporous TiO2 film enhanced both dye adsorption and lightharvest, to increase photocurrent （Jsc） from 12.32 to 14.78 mA/cm^2. Compared to the single P25 TiO2 film, the synergy of the mesoporous TiO2 and the P25 TiO2 nanoparticle films in the electrode resulted in a 24% improvement in light-to-electricity conversion efficiency （η）. This bilayered electrode provides an alternative approach for further developing a photovoltaic device with better cell performance.

CaCO_3/TiO_2 Nanoparticles Based Dye Sensitized Solar Cell

In this communication, the synthesis and structural, morphological, optical, and photo-electrochemical properties of TiO2 and CaCO3/TiO2 nanoparticles as well as their applications in dye sensitized solar cells （DSSCs）, have been reported. In an X-ray diffraction pattern of CaCO3/TiO2 nanoparticles, the peak at 29.41 ° of CaCO3 has been detected, demonstrating its coating on the surface of TiO2, which is further verified using high resolution-transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The strong quenching in photoluminescence emission, in the case of CaCO3/TiO2 nanoparticles, has been attributed to the decrease in recombination rate of photo-generated electron-hole pairs. In the case of UV-visible reflectance spectra, the absorption edge for CaCO3/TiO2 nanoparticles has slightly been found to be blue-shifted as compared to bare TiO2 nanoparticles, which corresponds to an increase in energy band gap of the former. The dye desorption studies reveal that CaCO3/TiO2 electrodes adsorbed more dye than the bare TiO2 electrode. CaCO3/TiO2 based DSSC show improved photo- electrochemical properties compared to the bare TiO2 based DSSC as CaCO3 coating on mi02 forms an energy barrier, and, consequently suppressing the charge recombination, and, thus, improving the overall energy conversion efficiency （η） from 0.46% to 1.44% under the illumination of simulated light of 100 mW/cm2.

Optical Properties of Dye Based on Hydroxamate Improved with Designed Tridentate Ligands for Dye Sensitized Solar Cell： a Theoretical Study

A density function theory（DFT） study was made on three dyes based on hydroxamate with different ligands[terpyridine, isothiocyanate（NCS） and 2,2＇-bis（thienyl）-tripyrrinate（2-BTTP）] to investigtate their device performance optimization in dye sensitized solar cell（DSSC）. Based on the adsorbed dye on TiO2 （101） surface, the ground state geometry structures, electronic structures, absorption spectra and correspongding charge transfer properties were analysed in detail. The results indicate that the ligand replacement of terpyridine by NCS and 2-BTTP improves the low-energy region absorption of hydroxamate based dyes significantly. The electron injection and light harvesting capability of hydroxamate based dyes are enhanced by NCS and 2-BTTP ligands as well. In the visible region, hydroxamate based dyes have the potentials to become panchromatic light absorbers according to our research.

Recent progress of g-C_(3)N_(4) applied in solar cells

Graphite carbon nitride(gC_(3)N_(4)),a two-dimensional polymer semiconductor material,has good semiconductor properties,suitable electronic energy band structure,excellent physical and chemical stability.It is widely used in the field of energy and materials science such as photoelectric conversion.In this paper,the progress of g-C_(3)N_(4) in dye sensitized solar cells(DSSC)and perovskite solar cells(PSC)was reviewed.As a new semiconductor material,g-C_(3)N_(4) has the advantages of simple preparation,abundant amino and Lewis basic groups.Therefore,on the basis of excellent structure of g-C_(3)N_(4),its electronic and optical properties are utilized to further expand its application in the field of photoelectric conversion.

Printing photovoltaics by electrospray

Solution processible photovoltaics(PV)are poised to play an important role in scalable manufacturing of low-cost solar cells.Electrospray is uniquely suited for fabricating PVs due to its several desirable characteristics of an ideal manufacturing process such as compatibility with roll-to-roll production processes,tunability and uniformity of droplet size,capability of operating at atmospheric pressure,and negligible material waste and nano structures.This review begins with an introduction of the fundamentals and unique properties of electrospray.We put emphasis on the evaporation time and residence time that jointly affect the deposition outcome.Then we review the efforts of electrospray printing polymer solar cells,perovskite solar cells,and dye sensitized solar cells.Collectively,these results demonstrate the advantages of electrospray for solution processed PV.Electrospray has also exhibited the capability of producing uniform films as well as nanostructured and even multiscale films.So far,the electrospray has been found to improve active layer morphology,and create devices with efficiencies comparable with that of spin-coating.Finally,we discuss challenges and research opportunities that enable electrospray to become a mainstream technique for industrial scale production.

Design, Microwave Assisted Synthesis of Some Schiff Bases Derivatives of Congo Red and Conventional Preparation of Their Structurally Reversed Analogous Compounds

This work contributes to the improvement of the azo group which has outstanding electron donating capability and serves as excellent ligands in the field of coordination chemistry. The authors of this research deal with the microwave irradiation synthesis of some new Schiff bases derived from the biologically effective and photoactive Congo red [Ia-g]. The design and preparation of the structurally reversed analogous compounds to the above compounds [IIIa-d] were accomplished using the conventional chemical methods by keeping the benzidine moiety of Congo red as the nucleus of the synthesized compounds, doubling the number of the azo groups and inverting the way of their conjugation order with the azomethine groups. The structures of the newly prepared compounds were established on the basis of their FTIR and H1 NMR spectral data.

Metal oxide mesocrystals and mesoporous single crystals:synthesis,properties and applications in solar energy conversion

Metal oxide mesocrystals(MCs)and mesoporous single crystals(MSCs)exhibit superior carrier transport ability,high specific surface area,shortened photo-carrier diffusion lengths to interfaces and enhanced absorbance of the incident sunlight.These advanced features make metal oxide MCs and MSCs be a promising candidate material in photocatalysis,photoelectrocatalysis,dye sensitized solar cells(DSSCs)and perovskite solar cells(PSCs).Recently,remarkable advances of applying metal oxide MCs and MSCs in these areas have been achieved.Therefore,it is extremely important to deeply understand the influence of the unique properties of metal oxide MCs and MSCs on solar energy conversion systems.Herein,we presented a brief introduction on the synthesis and carrier transfer behavior of metal oxide MCs and MSCs.Then,the rational structure design and modification of metal oxide MCs and MSCs for photocatalysis,photoelectrocatalysis,DSSCs and PSCs are systematically discussed.Finally,the perspectives on extending the application of metal oxide MCs and MSCs are addressed.

分子工程优化含吡啶受体的二硫富瓦烯敏化剂用于高效染料敏化太阳电池（英文）

近年来,具有给体-π桥-受体结构的有机化合物作为光敏剂用于染料敏化太阳电池的研究引起广泛关注.研究发现吡啶作为电子受体和吸附基团时可实现有效的电子注入.为了提高含吡啶受体有机敏化剂的性能,需要通过分子工程对电子给体,π桥和分子结构在分子层面上进行优化.本研究以二硫富瓦烯为电子给体,吡啶为电子受体,合成了两个π桥结构分别为噻吩-苯和苯-噻吩的单体型敏化剂DTFPy3和DTFPy4,对二者及其对应的二聚体型敏化剂D-DTFPy3和D-DTFPy4的研究发现,调整π桥上富电子噻吩靠近给体一端时可使敏化剂的吸收波长红移.另外,二聚体型敏化剂可有效提高敏化剂的吸光强度.在这四个敏化剂中,D-DTFPy4表现出最佳的光捕获效率,以其制备的染料敏化太阳电池,光电转换效率可达5.26%.

Preparation of Multistage Sheet-cluster ZnO Photoanode via a Solid State Reaction and Its Property in DSSCs

Different precursors were prepared via a simple low heat solid state reaction（LHSSR） upon changing the ligands. The ZnO photoanode films were obtained by the doctor blade technique, and their composition, thermal decomposition process and morphologies were identified by means of X-ray diffraction（XRD）, thermal gravimetric analysis-differential thermal analysis（TGA-SDTA） and scanning electron microscope（SEM）. The results show that the morphologies of ZnO photoanodes are irregular block, regular lamellar and irregular sheet-cluster, and the multistage structure can be found in all the photoanodes. Furthermore, there exists a genetic effect of morphology between the precursors and the corresponding photoanodes. The optimum power conversion efficiency of the sheet-cluster ZnO photoanode was 3.12% with the short circuit current density（dsc） being 11.23 mA/cm2. The multistage sheet-cluster structure could result in the increase of the scattering of the incident light and provide a rapid electronic transmission channel to reduce the risk of electronic recombination. A beneficial enlightenment was obtained to simplify the process and the photoanode films with various morphologies can be prepared with lower price in the further research.