Karl Martin Karlsson

A light-resistant organic sensitizer for solar-cell applications.

Finely tuned: A stable dye-sensitized solar cell that contains a molecularly engineered organic dye has been prepared. The efficiency of the cell remains at 90% after 1000 h of light soaking at 60 degrees C. The remarkable stability of the cell is also reflected in the open-circuit voltage value (V(oc)), short-circuit photocurrent-density value (J(sc)), and the fill factor, which also show barely no decline (see picture).

Phenoxazine Dyes for Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells: Relationship Between Molecular Structure and Electron Lifetime

A series of metal-free organic dyes with a core phenoxazine chromophore have been synthesized and tested as sensitizers in dye-sensitized solar cells. Overall conversion efficiencies of 6.03-7.40% were reached under standard AM 1.5G illumination at a light intensity of 100 mW cm(-2) . A clear trend in electron lifetime could be seen; a dye with a furan-conjugated linker showed a shorter lifetime relative to dyes with the acceptor group directly attached to the phenoxazine. The addition of an extra donor unit, which bore insulating alkoxyl chains, in the 7-position of the phenoxazine could increase the lifetime even further and, together with additives in the electrolyte to raise the conduction band, an open circuit voltage of 800 mV could be achieved. From photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray absorption spectroscopy of the dyes adsorbed on TiO(2) particles, it can be concluded that the excitation is mainly of cyano character (i.e., on average, the dye molecules are standing on, and pointing out, from the surface of TiO(2) particles).

The combination of a new organic D–π–A dye with different organic hole-transport materials for efficient solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells

A new organic donor–π–acceptor sensitizer MKA253 has been applied for highly efficient solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells (ssDSSCs). Using 2,2′,7,7′-tetrakis(N,N-di-p-methoxyphenyl-amine)9,9′-spirobifluorene (Spiro-OMeTAD) as the hole transport material (HTM), an excellent power conversion efficiency of 6.1% was recorded together with a high short-circuit current of 12.4 mA cm−2 under standard AM 1.5G illumination (100 mW cm−2). Different combinations of dyes and HTMs have also been investigated in the ssDSSC device. The results showed that small molecule HTM based devices suffer from comparably high electron recombination losses, thus causing low open-circuit voltage. In addition, photo-induced absorption (PIA) spectroscopy showed that the small-molecule HTMs lead to more efficient dye regeneration in comparison with Spiro-OMeTAD, despite a lower thermodynamic driving force. The results of this study also show that optimized energy levels for the dye–HTMs could be a vital factor for highly efficient ssDSSCs.