Probing single-molecule electron-hole transfer dynamics at a molecule-NiO semiconductor nanocrystalline interface

Interfacial charge transfer dynamics in dye-sensitized NiO nanoparticles are being investigated for photocathodes in p-type dye-sensitized solar cells. In the photoreaction, after fast electron transfer from NiO to a molecule, the recombination of the hole in the nanoparticles with the electron in a reduced molecule plays an important role in the charge separation process and solar energy harvesting. Nevertheless, knowledge of the interfacial charge recombination (CR) rate and its mechanism is still limited due to the complex photoinduced electron and hole dynamics and lack of characterization of the inhomogeneity of the dynamics. Here, we report our work on probing interfacial charge recombination dynamics in Zn(ii)-5,10,15,20-tetra(3-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin (m-ZnTCPP) dye-sensitized NiO nanoparticles by correlating single-molecule fluorescence blinking dynamics with charge transfer dynamics using single-molecule photon-stamping spectroscopy. The correlated analyses of single-molecule fluorescence intensity, lifetime, and blinking reveal the intrinsic distribution and temporal fluctuation of interfacial charge transfer reactivity, which are closely related to site-specific molecular interactions and dynamics.

Efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution system by assembling earth abundant NixOy nanoclusters in cubic MCM-48 mesoporous materials

A MCM-48 mesoporous support containing NiO and Ni₂O₃ nanoclusters exhibit high activity for photocatalytic hydrogen production in comparison to NiO.

Efficient photoelectrochemical water splitting over anodized p-type NiO porous films

NiO photocathodes were fabricated by alkaline etching-anodizing nickel foil in an organic-based electrolyte. The resulting films have a highly macroporous surface structure due to rapid dissolution of the oxide layer as it is formed during the anodization process. We are able to control the films' surface structures by varying the anodization duration and voltage. With an onset potential of +0.53 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), the photocurrent efficiency of the NiO electrodes showed dependencies on their surface roughness factor, which determines the extent of semiconductor-electrolyte interface and the associated quality of the NiO surface sites. A maximum incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE(max)) of 22% was obtained from NiO film with a roughness factor of 8.4. Adding an Al2O3 blocking layer minimizes surface charge recombination on the NiO and hence increased the IPCE(max) to 28%. The NiO/Al2O3 films were extremely stable during photoelectrochemical water splitting tests lasting up to 20 h, continuously producing hydrogen and oxygen in the stoichiometric 2:1 ratio. The NiO/Al2O3 and NiO films fabricated using the alkaline anodization process produced 12 and 6 times as much hydrogen, respectively, as those fabricated using commercial NiO nanoparticles.

Fine tuning of fluorene-based dye structures for high-efficiency p-type dye-sensitized solar cells

We report on an experimental study of three organic push-pull dyes (coded as zzx-op1, zzx-op1-2, and zzx-op1-3) featuring one, two, and three fluorene units as spacers between donors and acceptors for p-type dye-sensitized solar cells (p-DSSC). The results show increasing the number of spacer units leads to obvious increases of the absorption intensity between 300 nm and 420 nm, a subtle increase in hole driving force, and almost the same hole injection rate from dyes to NiO nanoparticles. Under optimized conditions, the zzx-op1-2 dye with two fluorene spacer units outperforms other two dyes in p-DSSC. It exhibits an unprecedented photocurrent density of 7.57 mA cm(-2) under full sun illumination (simulated AM 1.5G light illumination, 100 mW cm(-2)) when the I(-)/I3(-) redox couple and commercial NiO nanoparticles were used as an electrolyte and a semiconductor, respectively. The cells exhibited excellent long-term stability. Theoretical calculations, impedance spectroscopy, and transient photovoltage decay measurements reveal that the zzx-op1-2 exhibits lower photocurrent losses, longer hole lifetime, and higher photogenerated hole density than zzx-op1 and zzx-op1-3. A dye packing model was proposed to reveal the impact of dye aggregation on the overall photovoltaic performance. Our results suggest that the structural engineering of organic dyes is important to enhance the photovoltaic performance of p-DSSC.

Investigation of the regeneration kinetics of organic dyes with pyridine ring anchoring groups by scanning electrochemical microscopy

The regeneration dynamics can be understood with the help of scanning electrochemical microscopy, showing that anchoring group significantly affects the effective rate constant.

Other origins for the fluorescence modulation of single dye molecules in open-circuit and short-circuit devices

Fluorescence intensity modulation of single Atto647N dye molecules in a short-circuit device and a defective device, caused by damaging an open-circuit device, is due to a variation in the excitation light focus as a result of the formation of an alternating electric current.