Download Nazeer_Abstract

Molecular Engineering of Sensitizers for Solar Cell Applications
Mohammad K. Nazeeruddin
Laboratory of Photonics and Interfaces, Institute ofChemical Science and Engineering, FBS, EPFL,
Ecublens, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
Keywords: Sensitizers, High molar extinction coefficient dyes, titanium dioxide,
dye-sensitized solar cell, mesoporous thin films
Nanocrystalline TiO2 based Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSC) are potentially low in cost compared to
the conventional silicon solar cells. The DSSC consists of a working electrode, which is a sensitizer
derivatized mesoporous TiO2 film, and a counter electrode, sand-witched with an iodide/triiodide (I-/I3-)
redox electrolyte. The immobilized sensitizer absorbs a photon to produce an excited state, which transfers efficiently its electron into the TiO2 conduction band. The oxidized dye is subsequently reduced by
electron donation from the iodide/triiodide redox system. The injected electron flows through the semiconductor network to arrive at the back contact and then through the external load to the counter electrode. At the counter electrode, reduction of triiodide in turn regenerates iodide, which completes the
circuit.
[1]
[2]
In these cells the sensitizer is one of the key components for high power conversion efficiency.
In my talk I will discuss the various design strategies of sensitizers consisting of different
ligands with specific functionality and their power conversion efficiencies.
References:
[1].
Nazeeruddin, M. K.; Kay, A.; Rodicio, I.; Humphry-Baker, R.; Muller, E.; Liska,
P.; Vlachopoulos, N.; Grätzel, M. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1993, 115, 6382.
[2].
Nazeeruddin, M. K.; Pe´chy, P.; Renouard, T.; Zakeeruddin, S. M.; Humphry-Baker,
R.; Comte, P.; Liska, P.; Le, C.; Costa, E.; Shklover, V.; Spiccia, L.; Deacon,
G. B.; Bignozzi, C.A.; Graetzel, M. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2001, 123, 1613
Acknowledgement.
We acknowledge financial support of this work by the Swiss Science Foundation, Swiss Federal Office
for Energy (OFEN) and U. S. Air Force Research Office under contract number F61775-00-C0003.