Molecular Docking toward Panchromatic Dye Sensitizers for Solar Cells Based upon Tetraazulenylporphyrin and Tetraanthracenylporphyrin

Boosting the Performance of Diketopyrrolopyrrole-Triphenylamine-Based Organic Solar Cells via π-Linker Engineering

The design and development of novel and efficient donor-π-acceptor (D-π-A) type conjugated systems has attracted substantial interest in the field of organic electronics owing to their intriguing properties. In this paper, we have designed seven new and efficient D-π-A type conjugated systems (M1-M7) by a variety of π-linkers with triphenylamine (TPA) as the electron donor and diphenyldiketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) as the electron acceptor using density functional theory (DFT) formalism for organic solar cells (OSCs). The π-linker has been substituted between the donor and acceptor for efficient electron transfer. Here, our primary focus is on narrowing the highest occupied molecular orbital-lowest unoccupied molecular orbital gaps, electronic transition, charge transfer rate, reorganization energies, and the theoretical power conversion efficiencies (PCEs). Our study reveals that the designed compounds exhibit excellent charge transfer rates. The absorption properties of the compounds have been examined using the time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) method. The TD-DFT study shows that compound M2 possesses the highest absorption maxima with a maximum bathochromic shift. For a better understanding of the electron transport process of our designed compounds, we have designed donor/acceptor (D/A) blends, and each of the developed blends (FREA/M1-M7) can encourage charge carrier separation. According to the photovoltaic performance of the D/A blends, compound FREA-M2, which has a theoretical PCE of 16.53%, is the most appealing choice for use in OSCs. We expect that by thoroughly examining the relationship between structure, characteristics, and performance, this work will serve as a roadmap for future research and development of TPA-DPP-based photovoltaic materials.

End group modulation of A-D-A type small donor molecules for DTP based organic photovoltaic solar cells: a DFT approach

Here, five new acceptor-donor-acceptor (A-D-A) type small donor molecules C1-C5, have been designed based on the central D unit, dithieno[3,2-b:2',3'-d]pyrrole (DTP). Besides, five different A units, viz. 1,1-dicyano-methylene-5,6-dimethyl-3-indanone, 1,1-dicyano-methylene-5,6-difluoro-3-indanone, 1,1-dicyano-methylene-5,6-dichloro-3-indanone, 1,1-dicyano-methylene-5-nitro-3-indanone, and 1,1-dicyano-methylene-5,6-diamino-3-indanone are selected for these designed compounds C1-C5, respectively. Density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) methods have been employed to study the influence of different A units on the geometric, electronic, optical, charge transport and photovoltaic properties of the designed donor molecules. The results reveal that the performance of the designed donor molecules have been improved on attachment of the strong electron withdrawing A units. The observed reorganization energy (λ) values infer the electron donating nature of the designed compounds. Moreover, the absorption properties of the designed compounds manifest that compound C4 possesses the high values of maximum wavelength (λmax) in both gas and solvent phases. The properties of the D/A blends reveal that all designed blends C1-C5/C60-CN, have the capacity to promote charge carrier separation at the D/A interface. Further, the photovoltaic performance of the D/A complexes also reveal that complex C4/C60-CN, with a theoretical PCE of 18%, can be considered as the most promising candidate for application in OSCs.

Theoretical investigation of fused N-methyl-dithieno-pyrrole derivatives in the context of acceptor-donor-acceptor approach

In this work we have theoretically investigated the optoelectronic properties of a series of acceptor-donor-acceptor type molecules by employing density functional theory formalism. We have used 1,1-dicyano-methylene-3-indanone as the acceptor unit and a fused N-methyl-dithieno-pyrrole as the donor unit. We have calculated the values of dihedral angle, inter-ring bond length, bond length alteration parameters, HOMO-LUMO gap, ionization potential, electron affinity, partial density of states, reorganization energies for holes and electrons, charge transfer rate for holes and electrons of the seven types of compounds designed via molecular engineering. Calculated IP and EA values manifest that PBDB-C2 shows excellent charge transportation compared to others. Absorption spectra of the designed compounds have been studied using the time-dependent density functional theory method. From the calculation of reorganization energy it is confirmed that our designed molecules behave more likely as donor materials. Our calculated results also reveal that compounds with electron donating substituents at the acceptor units show higher value of λ max. Absorption spectra of donor/acceptor blends show similar trends with the isolated compounds. Observed lower exciton binding energy values for all the compounds indicate facile charge carrier separation at the donor/acceptor interface. Moreover, the negative values of Gibb's free energy change also indicate the ease of exciton dissociation of all the designed compounds. The photovoltaic characteristics of the studied compounds infer that all the designed compounds have the potential to become suitable candidate for the fabrication of organic semiconductors. However, PBDB-C2 and PBDB-C4 with the highest PCE of 18.25% can become the best candidate for application in photovoltaics.

Hopping transport in perylene diimide based organic solar cells: a DFT approach

In this paper, a series of donor–π–acceptor (D–π–A) type oligomers were investigated for their structural and electronic properties through density functional theory (DFT) and time dependent-DFT (TD-DFT) calculations.

Fusing Thienyl with N-Annulated Perylene Dyes and Photovoltaic Parameters for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Due to the role of dyes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), designing novel dye sensitizers is an effective strategy to improve the power conversion efficiency. To this end, the fundamental issue is understanding the sensitizer's trilateral relationship among its molecular structure, optoelectronic properties, and photovoltaic performance. Considering the good performance of N-annulated perlyene dye sensitizers, the geometries, electronic structures, and excitations of the selected representative organic dye sensitizers C276, C277, and C278 as well as dyes adsorbed on TiO₂ clusters were calculated in order to investigate the relationship between molecular structures and properties. It was found that fusing thienyl to N-annulated perlyene can elevate the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy, reduce the orbital energy gap, increase the density of states, expand the HOMO to the benzothiadiazole moiety, enhance the charge transfer excitation, elongate the fluorescence lifetime, amplify the light harvesting efficiency, and induce a red-shift of the absorption spectra. The transition configurations and molecular orbitals of the dye-adsorbed systems support that the electron injection in DSSCs based on these dyes is a fast mode. Based on extensive analysis of the electronic structures and excitation properties of these dye sensitizers and the dye-adsorbed systems, we present new quantities as open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current density descriptors that celebrate the quantitative bridge between the photovoltaic parameters and the electronic structure-related properties in order to expose the relationship between properties and performance. The results of this work are critical for the design of novel dye sensitizers for solar cells.

Rational Design of Bay-Annulated Indigo (BAI)-Based Oligomers for Bulk Heterojunction Organic Solar Cells: A Density Functional Theory (DFT) Study

In this paper, we have designed a series of oligomers based on the donor-acceptor concept. Here, acceptor bay-annulated indigo (BAI) dye and donor N-methyl-4,5-diazacarbazole (DAC) are joined by a thiophene linkage. We have substituted the 5th and 5'th positions of the acceptor unit and the 2nd position of the donor unit with various electron-withdrawing and electron-donating groups to study various structural and electronic properties of the compounds. In this regard, we have calculated the dihedral angle, distortion energy, bond length alteration (BLA) parameters, bang gap (Δ _H - L ) values, partial density of states (PDOS), electrostatic potential (ESP) surface analysis, reorganization energy, charge transfer rates, hopping mobility values, and absorption spectra of the compounds. The ESP plots of the compounds indicate significant charge separation in the studied compounds. Our study manifests that the designed compounds are prone to facile charge transport.

DFT characterization and design of anthracene-based molecules for improving spectra and charge transfer

Four anthracene-based dyes (AN-3, AN-11, AN-12, AN-14) are investigated with density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), involving the stable molecular geometries, the electronic structures, the absorption and fluorescence spectra, and the performance of photoelectric properties. For the simulation of the realistic environment, some important parameters, including energy levels, energy gaps, electron density, projected density of states (PDOS), absorption, vertical dipole moment, first hyperpolarizability, light-harvesting efficiency (LHE), evaluation on electron injection, are calculated for each dye molecule. The relevant electron transfer (ET) and dynamic processes were studied by using the charge different density (CDD) and Newns-Anderson model. The relationship between structure and performance are established. Furthermore, six dyes are designed and examined on the basis of AN-11 to improve optical response and electron injection. It is expected that this study will give theoretical guidance and ideas for finding potential solar cell materials.

Strongly Coupled Phenazine-Porphyrin Dyads: Light-Harvesting Molecular Assemblies with Broad Absorption Coverage

The development of light-harvesting architectures with broad absorption coverage in the visible region continues to be an important research area in the field of artificial photosynthesis. Here, we introduce a new class of ethynyl-linked panchromatic dyads composed of dibenzophenazines coupled ortho and meta to tetrapyrroles with an anchoring group that can be grafted onto metal oxide surfaces. Quantum chemical calculations and photophysical measurements of the synthesized materials reveal that both of the dibenzophenazine dyads absorb broadly from 300 to 636 nm and exhibit absorption bands different from those of the constituent chromophore units. Moreover, the different points of attachment of dibenzophenazines to tetrapyrroles give different absorption profiles which computations suggest result from differences in the planarity of the two dyads. Applicability of the dyads in artificial photosynthesis systems was assessed by their incorporation and characterization of their performance in dye-sensitized solar cells.