Probing Dye-Correlated Interplay of Energetics and Kinetics in Mesoscopic Titania Solar Cells with 4-tert-Butylpyridine

• DOI: 10.1021/jp202826m
• Publication Date: 2011-06-21T10:22:22Z
• Authors: Huijin Long; Difei Zhou; Min Zhang; Chuyao Peng; Satoshi Uchida; Peng Wang
• Keywords: Triiodide; Mesoscopic physics

The adsorption of 4-tert-butylpyridine (TBP) on the surface oxide semiconductors can tune their interband state distributions as well conduction band edges, offering a straightforward tactic to modulate energy alignments at titania/dye/electrolyte interface in dye-sensitized solar cells. In this work, by stepwise augmenting TBP concentration electrolytes, we investigate energetic and kinetic interplays mesoscopic titania cells based upon two push–pull organic dyes C218 D205. higher concentration, while better retarding triiodide interception photoinjected electrons cells, has strikingly induced an acceleration interfacial charge recombination with devices employing D205 dye, accounting for much smaller photovoltage enhancement respect counterpart. Transient emission measurements disclose that exciton dissociation titania/C218 dye does not noticeably vary despite TBP-correlated edge elevation, which otherwise prompted evident Gibbs free-energy-dependent rate electron injection photosensitizer.