Toward Optimization of Oligothiophene Antennas: New Ruthenium Sensitizers with Excellent Performance for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells
摘要:
This paper reports on the design and synthesis of three new ruthenium sensitizers, as well as the optimization of their linear or dendritic light-harvesting oligothiophene antennas to achieve superior device performance. The three new ruthenium sensitizers, [Ru(dcbpy)(obtip)(NCS)(2)] (JF-5, dcbpy = 4,4'-dicarboxylic obtip = 2-(5-octyl-(2,2'-bithiophen)-5'-yl)-1H-imidazo[4,51][1,10]-phenanthroline), [Ru(dcbpy)(ottip)(NCS)(2)] (JF-6, ottip = 2-(5-octyl-2,2',5',2 ''-terthiophen)-5 ''-yl)-1H-imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]-phenanthroline), and [Ru(dcbpy)(dottip)(NCS)(2)] (JF-7, dottip = di-(5-octylthiophen-2-ypthiophen-5-yl)-1H-imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline), were synthesized in a typical one-pot reaction. The ruthenium sensitizer JF-5 incorporating a linear and planar 2,2'-bithiophene antenna showed the best DSCs performance (9.5%; compared to N3, 8.8%). The difference in the performance of these sensitizers demonstrates that elongating the linear and planar light-harvesting antenna result in an enhancement in MLCT intensity, but a reduction in the quantity of dye-loading. This finding not only permitted the power-conversion efficiency in ruthenium sensitizers containing oligothiophene antennas to be optimized, but also points to a promising direction for molecule engineering in DSCs.
A series of molecules based on thienofluorene derivatives as electron donating (D) and benzothiadiazole as electron accepting (A) moieties have been assembled into DAD and ADA architectures in order to investigate the influence of the way of assembling the D and A units along the conjugated backbone, on the photovoltaic performances of bulk heterojunction solar cells. It was found that the major difference in going from ADA to DAD architecture is the change in molecular organization (nematic to crystalline), which increases the charge transport mobility and probably also affects the structural organization in blends with PCBM that ultimately leads to higher photovoltaic performances.
We have synthesized a new series of donorâacceptorâdonor (DâAâD) Ï-conjugated molecules, consisting of fluorenone core end-capped with dendritic oligo(thiophene)s of increasing generation (abbreviated as FG0, FG1, and FG2). In view of the application of these new organic semiconductors in photovoltaic devices, we have explored their spectroscopic, redox, and structural properties. The thermal behaviour of the new organic semiconductors was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and polarized-light optical microscopy. Liquid crystalline behaviour has been found in the case of FG1, corresponding to a smectic ordering with a triclinic symmetry (Smobl) upon heating, as confirmed by variable temperature small-angle X-ray diffraction studies. In order to evaluate their photovoltaic performances, devices with an active area of 0.28 cm2 were fabricated. Under AM1.5 simulated sunlight (100 mW cmâ2) conditions, a device containing FG1/[70]PCBM blends showed a power conversion efficiency of ca. 0.8%.