1
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Singh A, Singh AK, Dixit R, Vanka K, Krishnamoorthy K, Nithyanandhan J. Effect of Position of Donor Units and Alkyl Groups on Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Device Performance: Indoline-Aniline Donor-Based Visible Light Active Unsymmetrical Squaraine Dyes. ACS OMEGA 2024; 9:16429-16442. [PMID: 38617628 PMCID: PMC11007861 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.4c00123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2024] [Revised: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
Indoline (In) and aniline (An) donor-based visible light active unsymmetrical squaraine (SQ) dyes were synthesized for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), where the position of An and In units was changed with respect to the anchoring group (carboxylic acid) to have In-SQ-An-CO2H and An-SQ-In-CO2H sensitizers, AS1-AS5. Linear or branched alkyl groups were functionalized with the N atom of either In or An units to control the aggregation of the dyes on TiO2. AS1-AS5 exhibit an isomeric π-framework where the squaric acid unit is placed in the middle, where AS2 and AS5 dyes possess the anchoring group connected with the An donor, and AS1, AS3, and AS4 dyes having the anchoring group connected with the In donor. Hence, the conjugation between the middle squaric acid acceptor unit and the anchoring -CO2H group is short for AS2, AS5, and AK2 and longer for AS1, AS3, and AS4 dyes. AS dyes showed absorption between 501 and 535 nm with extinction coefficients of 1.46-1.61 × 105 M-1 cm-1. Further, the isomeric π-framework of An-SQ-In-CO2H and In-SQ-An-CO2H exhibited by means of changing the position of In and An units a bathochromic shift in the absorption properties of AS2 and AS5 compared to the AS1, AS3, and AS4 dyes. The DSSC device fabricated with the dyes contains short acceptor-anchoring group distance (AS2 and AS5) showed high photovoltaic performances compared to the dyes having longer distance (AS1, AS3, and AS4) with the iodolyte (I-/I3-) electrolyte. DSSC device efficiencies of 5.49, 6.34, 6.16, and 5.57% have been achieved for AS1, AS2, AS3, and AS4 dyes, respectively; without chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA), small changes have been observed in the device performance of the AS dyes with CDCA. Significant changes have been noted in the DSSC parameters (open-circuit voltage VOC, short-circuit current JSC, fill factor ff, and efficiency η) for the AS5 dye while sensitized with CDCA and showed highest DSSC efficiency of 8.01% in the AS dye series. This study revealed the potential of shorter SQ acceptor-anchoring group distance over the longer one and the importance of alkyl groups on the overall DSSC device performance for the unsymmetrical squaraine dyes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amrita Singh
- Physical
and Materials Chemistry Division, CSIR-National
Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, India
- Academy
of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
| | - Ambarish Kumar Singh
- Physical
and Materials Chemistry Division, CSIR-National
Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, India
- Academy
of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
| | - Ruchi Dixit
- Physical
and Materials Chemistry Division, CSIR-National
Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, India
- Academy
of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
| | - Kumar Vanka
- Physical
and Materials Chemistry Division, CSIR-National
Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, India
- Academy
of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
| | - Kothandam Krishnamoorthy
- Polymer
Science and Engineering Division, CSIR-National
Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, India
- Academy
of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
| | - Jayaraj Nithyanandhan
- Physical
and Materials Chemistry Division, CSIR-National
Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, India
- Academy
of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
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2
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Jadhav AP, Singh AK, Pandya R, Vanka K, Krishnamoorthy K, Jayaraj N. Far-red active unsymmetrical squaraine dyes containing N-arylated indoline donors for dye sensitized solar cells. Photochem Photobiol 2024. [PMID: 38282075 DOI: 10.1111/php.13907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
Squaraine dyes possess sharp far-red active transition with high extinction coefficient and form aggregates on TiO2 surface. Aggregation of dyes on TiO2 has been considered as a detrimental factor for DSSC device performance, which can be controlled by appending alkyl groups to the dye structures. Hence by integrating alkylated (alkyl groups with both in-plane and out-of-plane) aryl group with indoline moiety to make it compatible with other electrolytes and for controlling the dye-aggregation, a series of squaraine acceptor-based dyes SQA4-6 have been designed and synthesized. SQA4-6 dyes showed absorption between 642 and 653 nm (λmax ), photophysical and electrochemical studies indicated that the HOMO energy levels of this sets of dyes are well aligned with the potentials of I- /I 3 - $$ {\mathrm{I}}_3^{-} $$ and [Co(bpy)3 ]2+/3+ redox shuttles for better dye regeneration process. DSSC device efficiency of 3% has been achieved for SQA5 dye with iodolyte (I- /I 3 - $$ {\mathrm{I}}_3^{-} $$ ) electrolyte in the presence of 0.3 mM of chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA). The IPCE profile of DSSC device fabricated with SQA4-6 dyes indicated the contribution of aggregated structures for the photocurrent generation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avinash P Jadhav
- Physical and Materials Chemistry Division, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Ambarish Kumar Singh
- Physical and Materials Chemistry Division, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Rinu Pandya
- Physical and Materials Chemistry Division, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Kumar Vanka
- Physical and Materials Chemistry Division, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Kothandam Krishnamoorthy
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
- Polymer Science and Engineering Division, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India
| | - Nithyanandhan Jayaraj
- Physical and Materials Chemistry Division, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
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Deshmukh SS, Maibam A, Krishnamurty S, Krishnamoorthy K, Nithyanandhan J. Visible-Light-Active Unsymmetrical Squaraine Dyes with Pyridyl Anchoring Groups for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2024; 40:251-263. [PMID: 38115198 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c02474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Visible-light-active alkyl group-wrapped unsymmetrical squaraine dyes SD1-SD3 were synthesized, featuring an indoline donor and pyridine and carboxylic acid anchoring groups. Their photophysical, electrochemical, and photovoltaic characteristics were examined by fabricating a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) device. Both carboxylic acid and pyridine anchoring groups containing squaraine dyes SD3 and SD2 possess similar photophysical and electrochemical characteristics. However, their photovoltaic performances were completely different. The SD3 dye with the carboxylic acid anchoring group displayed a DSSC device efficiency of 7.20% (VOC 0.81 V; JSC 12.29 mA/cm2) using iodolyte (I-/I3-) electrolyte, compared to SD1 (VOC 0.659 V; JSC 4.97 mA/cm2; and η - 2.34%) and SD2 (VOC 0.629 V; JSC 1.68 mA/cm2; and η - 0.84%), which were featured with pyridyl anchoring groups. These results were attributed to dye loading on the Lewis and Brønsted acidic sites of TiO2 and the importance of aggregated structures for photocurrent generation. In the incident photon-to-current efficiency (IPCE) analysis, SD1 dye-sensitized devices exhibited photocurrent generation from both monomeric and aggregated dyes on the TiO2 surface. In contrast, SD2 showed photocurrent generation solely from aggregated states. Despite the introduction of long alkyl chains to reduce dye aggregation and charge recombination, the results indicated preferential charge injection from only the aggregated SD2 dye on TiO2. Fluorescence-quenching experiments indicated an efficient charge transfer from the aggregated SD2 dye to TiO2 compared to that of the monomeric dye. Cosensitization, a method to enhance the light-harvesting efficiency and photocurrent generation in DSSCs, was explored by simultaneously cosensitizing pyridyl-based dyes (SD1 and SD2) with a blue-colored carboxylic acid-based squaraine dye SD4. IPCE analysis demonstrated that both SD1 and SD4 contributed to generating a photocurrent of 9.11 mA/cm2. The sequential cosensitization of SD1 and SD4 with the coadsorbent CDCA showed the highest performance, with a VOC of 0.663 V, a JSC of 11.43 mA/cm2, and an efficiency (η) of 5.20%.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shivdeep Suresh Deshmukh
- Physical and Materials Chemistry Division, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, Maharashtra, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
| | - Ashakiran Maibam
- Physical and Materials Chemistry Division, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, Maharashtra, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
| | - Sailaja Krishnamurty
- Physical and Materials Chemistry Division, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, Maharashtra, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
| | - Kothandam Krishnamoorthy
- Polymer Science and Engineering Division, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, Maharashtra, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
| | - Jayaraj Nithyanandhan
- Physical and Materials Chemistry Division, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, Maharashtra, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
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Al-horaibi SA, Al-Odayni AB, ALSaeedy M, Al-Ostoot FH, Al-Salihy A, Alezzy A, Al-Adhreai A, Saif FA, Yaseen SA, Saeed WS. Exploring DSSC Efficiency Enhancement: SQI-F and SQI-Cl Dyes with Iodolyte Electrolytes and CDCA Optimization. Molecules 2023; 28:7129. [PMID: 37894607 PMCID: PMC10609238 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28207129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Revised: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
This investigation delves into the potential use of halogen bonding to enhance both the short-circuit current (JSC) and overall efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Specifically, we synthesized two distinct dyes, SQI-F and SQI-Cl, and characterized them using FT-IR, 1HNMR, 13C NMR, and mass spectroscopy. These dyes are based on the concept of incorporating halogen atoms within unsymmetrical squaraine structures with a donor-acceptor-donor (D-A-D) configuration. This strategic design aims to achieve optimal performance within DSSCs. We conducted comprehensive assessments using DSSC devices and integrated these synthesized dyes with iodolyte electrolytes, denoted as Z-50 and Z-100. Further enhancements were achieved through the addition of CDCA. Remarkably, in the absence of CDCA, both SQI-F and SQI-Cl dyes displayed distinct photovoltaic characteristics. However, through sensitization with three equivalents of CDCA, a significant improvement in performance became evident. The peak of performance was reached with the SQI-F dye, sensitized with three equivalents of CDCA, and paired with iodolyte Z-100. This combination yielded an impressive DSSC device efficiency of 6.74%, an open-circuit voltage (VOC) of 0.694 V, and a current density (JSC) of 13.67 mA/cm2. This substantial improvement in performance can primarily be attributed to the presence of a σ-hole, which facilitates a robust interaction between the electrolyte and the dyes anchored on the TiO2 substrate. This interaction optimizes the critical dye regeneration process within the DSSCs, ultimately leading to the observed enhancement in efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sultan A. Al-horaibi
- Department of Chemistry, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad 431004, India
| | - Abdel-Basit Al-Odayni
- Department of Restorative Dental Science, College of Dentistry, King Saud University, P.O. Box 60169, Riyadh 11545, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed ALSaeedy
- Department of Chemistry, Maulana Azad of Arts, Science and Commerce, Aurangabad 431004, India
| | | | - Adel Al-Salihy
- MIIT Key Laboratory of Critical Materials Technology for New Energy Conversion and Storage, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
| | - Abdulmajeed Alezzy
- Chemistry Department, Dr. Rafiq Zakaria Centre for Higher Learning and Advance Research, Dr. BAM University, Aurangabad 431001, India
| | - Arwa Al-Adhreai
- Department of Chemistry, Maulana Azad of Arts, Science and Commerce, Aurangabad 431004, India
| | - Faizaa A. Saif
- Microwave Research Laboratory, Department of Physics, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad 431004, India
| | - Salama A. Yaseen
- Microwave Research Laboratory, Department of Physics, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad 431004, India
| | - Waseem Sharaf Saeed
- Department of Restorative Dental Science, College of Dentistry, King Saud University, P.O. Box 60169, Riyadh 11545, Saudi Arabia
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5
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Jadhav AP, Singh AK, Maibam A, Krishnamurty S, Krishnamoorthy K, Nithyanandhan J. D-A-D-based Unsymmetrical Thiosquaraine Dye for the Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells †. Photochem Photobiol 2022; 99:529-537. [PMID: 36582053 DOI: 10.1111/php.13769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
In dye-sensitized solar cell, modulating the electronic properties of the sensitizer by varying the donor, π-spacer, acceptor and anchoring groups help optimizing the structure of the dye for better device performance. Here, a donor-acceptor-donor-based unsymmetrical thiosquaraine sensitizer (SQ5S) has been designed and synthesized. Photophysical, electrochemical, theoretical and photovoltaic characterizations of SQ5S dye have been compared with its oxygen analog, SQ5. The incorporation of the sulfur atom in the acceptor unit of SQ5S dye showed an intense peak at 688 nm, which was 38 nm of red-shifted and showed the panchromatic light harvesting response with the onset of 850 nm compared with SQ5 dye. The LUMO and HOMO energy levels are well aligned with the conduction band of TiO2 and the redox potential of electrolyte for the charge injection and the dye-regeneration processes, respectively. Photovoltaic efficiency of 1.51% (VOC 610 mV, JSC 3.07 mA cm-2 , ff 81%) has been achieved for SQ5S dye, whereas SQ5 showed the device performance of 5.43% (VOC 723 mV, JSC 9.3 mA cm-2 , ff 80%). The decreased device performance for the dye SQ5S has been attributed to the favorable intersystem crossing process associated with the photoexcited SQ5S that reduces the driving force for the charge injection process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avinash P Jadhav
- Physical and Materials Chemistry Division, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory and CSIR-Network of Institutes for Solar Energy, Pune, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Ambarish Kumar Singh
- Physical and Materials Chemistry Division, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory and CSIR-Network of Institutes for Solar Energy, Pune, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Ashakiran Maibam
- Physical and Materials Chemistry Division, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory and CSIR-Network of Institutes for Solar Energy, Pune, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Sailaja Krishnamurty
- Physical and Materials Chemistry Division, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory and CSIR-Network of Institutes for Solar Energy, Pune, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Kothandam Krishnamoorthy
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India.,Polymer Science and Engineering Division, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory and CSIR-Network of Institutes for Solar Energy, Pune, India
| | - Jayaraj Nithyanandhan
- Physical and Materials Chemistry Division, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory and CSIR-Network of Institutes for Solar Energy, Pune, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
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6
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Singh AK, Kavungathodi MFM, Mozer AJ, Krishnamoorthy K, Nithyanandhan J. Solvent-Dependent Functional Aggregates of Unsymmetrical Squaraine Dyes on TiO 2 Surface for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2022; 38:14808-14818. [PMID: 36417560 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c02469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Alkyl group wrapped donor-acceptor-donor (D-A-D) based unsymmetrical squaraine dyes SQ1, SQ5, and SQS4 were used to evaluate the effect of sensitizing solvents on dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) efficiency. A drastic change in DSSC efficiency was observed when the photo-anodes were sensitized in acetonitrile (bad solvent when considering dye solubility) and chloroform (good solvent) with an Iodolyte (I-/I3-) electrolyte. The DSSC device sensitized with squaraine dyes in acetonitrile showed better photovoltaic performance with enhanced photocurrent generation and photovoltage compared to the device sensitized in chloroform. In a good sensitizing solvent, dyes with long hydrophobic alkyl chains are deleterious forming aggregates on the TiO2 surface, which results in an incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE) response mostly from monomeric and dimeric structures. Meanwhile, a bad sensitizing solvent facilitates the formation of well-packed self-assembled structures on the TiO2 surface, which are responsible for a broad IPCE response and high device efficiencies. The photoanode sensitized in the bad sensitizing solvent showed enhanced VOC values of 642, 675, and 699 mV; JSC values of 6.38, 11.1, and 11.69 mA/cm2; and DSSC device efficiencies of 3.0, 5.63, and 6.13% for the SQ1, SQ5, and SQS4 dyes in the absence of a coadsorbent (chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA)), respectively, which were further enhanced by CDCA addition. Meanwhile, the photoanode sensitized in the good sensitizing solvent showed relatively low photovoltaic VOC values of 640, 652, and 650 mV; JSC values of 5.78, 6.79, and 6.24 mA/cm2; and device efficiencies of 2.73, 3.35, and 3.20% for SQ1, SQ5, and SQS4 in the absence of CDCA, respectively, which were further varied with equivalents of CDCA. The best DSSC device efficiencies of 6.13 and 3.20% were obtained for SQS4 without CDCA, where the dye was sensitized in acetonitrile (bad) and chloroform (good) sensitizing solvents, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ambarish Kumar Singh
- Physical and Materials Chemistry Division, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory and CSIR-Network of Institutes for Solar Energy, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
| | - Munavvar Fairoos Mele Kavungathodi
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, Intelligent Polymer Research Institute, Australian Institute for Innovative Materials, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
| | - Attila J Mozer
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, Intelligent Polymer Research Institute, Australian Institute for Innovative Materials, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
| | - Kothandam Krishnamoorthy
- Polymer Science and Engineering Division, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory and CSIR-Network of Institutes for Solar Energy, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
| | - Jayaraj Nithyanandhan
- Physical and Materials Chemistry Division, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory and CSIR-Network of Institutes for Solar Energy, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
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7
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Jachak M, Khopkar S, Mehta V, Bhise R, Shankarling G. Synthesis of A 2-D 2-A 1-D 1 type red-emitting unsymmetrical squaraine dye: Influence of additional pyridine moiety on photophysical, electrochemical, photo and thermal stability. SPECTROCHIMICA ACTA. PART A, MOLECULAR AND BIOMOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY 2022; 273:121019. [PMID: 35231764 DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2022.121019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Revised: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
We have synthesized a π-conjugated acceptor-donor-acceptor-donor (A2-D2-A1-D1) type of unsymmetrical squaraine dye, signified by USQ-1 based on 1-ethyl-2,3,3,8-tetramethyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-h] quinoline moiety to improve the absorption as well as emission spectra to the red-emitting region. The influence of pyridine as a subsidiary electron acceptor unit on various properties in USQ-1 dye was compared with their close relative dye (USQ-2). The synthesized dyes were examined by FT-IR, HR-MS, 1H, and 13C NMR spectroscopy. This novel unsymmetrical squaraine dye shows a strong absorption with high molar absorptivity (˃105 L mol-1 cm-1) in the range of 676-661 nm from non-polar to polar solvents. The intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) process from donor to the acceptor moiety in a non-polar to polar solvent has been investigated with the help of oscillator strengths (f), as well as transition dipole moments (μeg). These dyes showed a negative solvatochromic shift from non-polar to polar solvent. The quantitative analysis of charge transfer from the ground to the excited state of these squaraine dyes was calculated by Reichardt's ET (30) scale plot. The comparative electrochemical, as well as the thermal study of these unsymmetrical squaraines, were studied with the aid of cyclic voltammetry and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), respectively. Additionally, A2-D2-A1-D1 type dye (USQ-1) showed an improved photo-stability compared to D2-A1-D1 type dye (USQ-2). The computational (theoretical) study of these dyes was supported with the assistance of density functional theory (DFT) together with time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT).
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahesh Jachak
- Department of Speciality Chemicals Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology, N. P. Marg, Matunga, Mumbai 400019, Maharashtra, India
| | - Sushil Khopkar
- Department of Speciality Chemicals Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology, N. P. Marg, Matunga, Mumbai 400019, Maharashtra, India
| | - Viral Mehta
- Department of Speciality Chemicals Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology, N. P. Marg, Matunga, Mumbai 400019, Maharashtra, India
| | - Rupali Bhise
- Department of Speciality Chemicals Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology, N. P. Marg, Matunga, Mumbai 400019, Maharashtra, India
| | - Ganapati Shankarling
- Department of Speciality Chemicals Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology, N. P. Marg, Matunga, Mumbai 400019, Maharashtra, India.
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8
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Caicedo-Reina M, Guimarães RR, Ortiz A, Araki K, Insuasty B. New organic photosensitizers based on triphenylamine and hydantoin as anchoring group onto TiO2 Surface. J Mol Struct 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2021.132072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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9
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Porous TiO2 adsorbed with squaraine dye as visible-light-responsive photocatalyst. J Photochem Photobiol A Chem 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jphotochem.2021.113543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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10
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Becker M, Wyss V, Housecroft CE, Constable EC. The influence of alkyl chains on the performance of DSCs employing iron(II) N-heterocyclic carbene sensitizers. Dalton Trans 2021; 50:16961-16969. [PMID: 34698326 PMCID: PMC8631001 DOI: 10.1039/d1dt03252f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The photovoltaic performances of DSCs employing two new iron(II) N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) sensitizers are presented. The presence of n-butyl side chains had a significant impact on DSC performace. The improvement in DSC performance up to 0.93-0.95% was observed for a new heteroleptic sensitizer bearing one carboxylic acid anchoring group. The photovoltaic performance was remarkably affected by sensitization time and by a presence/absence of coadsorbent on the semiconductor surface. The highest photoconversion efficiencies (PCE) were achieved for DSCs sensitized over 17.5 hours without addition of coadsorbents. However, for a shorter dipping time of 4 hours, the presence of chenodeoxycholic acid improved the PCE from 0.46% (no coadsorbents) to 0.74%, respectively. The performance of DSCs based on a new homoleptic complex bearing two n-butyl side chains and a carboxylic acid anchor on each NHC-ligand was improved from 0.05 to 0.29% via changes in dye-bath concentration and sensitization time. The changes in the dye load on the semiconductor surface depending on the sensitization conditions were confirmed using solid-state UV-Vis spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was used to gain information about the processes occurring at the different interfaces in the DSCs. The impedance response was strongly affected by the immersion time of the photoanodes in the dye-bath solutions. In the case of the homoleptic iron(II) complex, a Gerischer impedance was observed after 17.5 hours immersion. Shorter dipping times resulted in a decrease in the resistance in the system. For the heteroleptic complex, values of the chemical capacitance and electron lifetime were affected by the immersion time. However, the diffusion length was independent of sensitization conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariia Becker
- Department of Chemistry, University of Basel, BPR 1096, Mattenstrasse 24a, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Vanessa Wyss
- Department of Chemistry, University of Basel, BPR 1096, Mattenstrasse 24a, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Catherine E Housecroft
- Department of Chemistry, University of Basel, BPR 1096, Mattenstrasse 24a, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Edwin C Constable
- Department of Chemistry, University of Basel, BPR 1096, Mattenstrasse 24a, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
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11
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Visually detecting cyanide ion in aqueous solution sensitively and selectively using a merocyanine salt with the help of a smartphone. J Mol Struct 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2021.130757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Xu F, Testoff TT, Wang L, Zhou X. Cause, Regulation and Utilization of Dye Aggregation in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells. Molecules 2020; 25:E4478. [PMID: 33003462 PMCID: PMC7582523 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25194478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2020] [Revised: 09/23/2020] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
As an important member of third generation solar cell, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have the advantages of being low cost, having an easy fabrication process, utilizing rich raw materials and a high-power conversion efficiency (PCE), prompting nearly three decades as a research hotspot. Recently, increasing the photoelectric conversion efficiency of DSSCs has proven troublesome. Sensitizers, as the most important part, are no longer limited to molecular engineering, and the regulation of dye aggregation has become a widely held concern, especially in liquid DSSCs. This review first presents the operational mechanism of liquid and solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells, including the influencing factors of various parameters on device efficiency. Secondly, the mechanism of dye aggregation was explained by molecular exciton theory, and the influence of various factors on dye aggregation was summarized. We focused on a review of several methods for regulating dye aggregation in liquid and solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells, and the advantages and disadvantages of these methods were analyzed. In addition, the important application of quantum computational chemistry in the study of dye aggregation was introduced. Finally, an outlook was proposed that utilizing the advantages of dye aggregation by combining molecular engineering with dye aggregation regulation is a research direction to improve the performance of liquid DSSCs in the future. For solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells (ssDSSCs), the effects of solid electrolytes also need to be taken into account.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Xu
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300345, China; (F.X.); (L.W.)
| | - Thomas T. Testoff
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Materials Technology Center, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA;
| | - Lichang Wang
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300345, China; (F.X.); (L.W.)
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Materials Technology Center, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA;
| | - Xueqin Zhou
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300345, China; (F.X.); (L.W.)
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Liu J, Luo Y, Li L, Wang G, Wang X, Chen Y, Liu B. Photovoltaic Performance of 4,8-Bis(2'-ethylhexylthiophene)thieno[2,3- f]benzofuran-Based Dyes Fabricated with Different Donors in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells. ACS OMEGA 2020; 5:12440-12450. [PMID: 32548429 PMCID: PMC7271381 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.0c01255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Thieno[2,3-f]benzofuran (BDF) has the advantages of a highly planarized structure, strong electron-donating ability, high hole mobility, good conjugation, and a wide spectral response range. In recent years, BDF has been widely used in organic solar cells, especially in bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) organic solar cells. In this work, a model molecule PSB-1 was synthesized based on this highly planar fragment and used as a photosensitizer in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs), then different aromatic amine donors such as triphenylamine (TPA), carbazole (CZ), and phenothiazine (PTZ) were introduced to the end of PSB-1, and a series of dyes PSB-2, PSB-3, and PSB-4 were designed and synthesized. After that, the relationship among the molecular structure, energy level, and photovoltaic performance of the benzo-[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene (BDT) dye was studied by theoretical calculations, photophysics, electrochemistry, and photovoltaic properties. The results show that the introduction of a strong donor can effectively improve the energy level, absorption spectrum, and photovoltaic performance of PSB-1. Through the preliminary test, we found that the energy conversion efficiency (photovoltaic conversion efficiency-PCE) of PSB-4 is up to 5.5%, which is nearly 90% higher than that of PSB-1 (PCE = 2.9%), while the introduction of a weak donor greatly weakens the effect, in which the PCE of PSB-3 is 3.5%, which is only 20% higher than that of the model molecule. By an analysis of the molecular frontier orbital distribution using theoretical calculations, we found that the electron cloud of the highest occupied orbital level (highest occupied molecular orbital-HOMO) of PSB-3 is mainly distributed on the BDF group so that the electron transfer of excited-state molecules mainly occurs from the BDF to the receptor (CA).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Liu
- College
of Chemsitry and Materials Engineering, Hunan University of Arts and Science, Changde 415000, P. R. China
- Hunan
Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Treatment Functional Materials, Hunan University of Arts and Science, Changde 415000, P. R. China
- Hunan
Province Engineering Research Center of Electroplating Wastewater
Reuse Technology, Hunan University of Arts
and Science, Changde 415000, P. R. China
| | - Yun Luo
- College
of Chemsitry and Materials Engineering, Hunan University of Arts and Science, Changde 415000, P. R. China
| | - Lang Li
- Nanjing
Foreign Language School, Nanjing 210000, P. R. China
| | - Gang Wang
- College
of Chemsitry and Materials Engineering, Hunan University of Arts and Science, Changde 415000, P. R. China
- Hunan
Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Treatment Functional Materials, Hunan University of Arts and Science, Changde 415000, P. R. China
- Hunan
Province Engineering Research Center of Electroplating Wastewater
Reuse Technology, Hunan University of Arts
and Science, Changde 415000, P. R. China
| | - Xiaobo Wang
- College
of Chemsitry and Materials Engineering, Hunan University of Arts and Science, Changde 415000, P. R. China
- Hunan
Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Treatment Functional Materials, Hunan University of Arts and Science, Changde 415000, P. R. China
- Hunan
Province Engineering Research Center of Electroplating Wastewater
Reuse Technology, Hunan University of Arts
and Science, Changde 415000, P. R. China
| | - Yuandao Chen
- College
of Chemsitry and Materials Engineering, Hunan University of Arts and Science, Changde 415000, P. R. China
- Hunan
Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Treatment Functional Materials, Hunan University of Arts and Science, Changde 415000, P. R. China
- Hunan
Province Engineering Research Center of Electroplating Wastewater
Reuse Technology, Hunan University of Arts
and Science, Changde 415000, P. R. China
| | - Bo Liu
- College
of Chemsitry and Materials Engineering, Hunan University of Arts and Science, Changde 415000, P. R. China
- Hunan
Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Treatment Functional Materials, Hunan University of Arts and Science, Changde 415000, P. R. China
- Hunan
Province Engineering Research Center of Electroplating Wastewater
Reuse Technology, Hunan University of Arts
and Science, Changde 415000, P. R. China
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