A molecular photosensitizer achieves a Voc of 1.24 V enabling highly efficient and stable dye-sensitized solar cells with copper(II/I)-based electrolyte

To develop photosensitizers with high open-circuit photovoltage (Voc) is a crucial strategy to enhance the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of co-sensitized solar cells. Here, we show a judiciously tailored organic photosensitizer, coded MS5, featuring the bulky donor N-(2’,4’-bis(dodecyloxy)-[1,1’-biphenyl]-4-yl)-2’,4’-bis(dodecyloxy)-N-phenyl-[1,1’-biphenyl]-4-amine and the electron acceptor 4-(benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazol-4-yl)benzoic acid. Employing MS5 with a copper (II/I) electrolyte enables a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) to achieve a strikingly high Voc of 1.24 V, with the Voc deficit as low as 130 mV and an ideality factor of merely 1.08. The co-sensitization of MS5 with the wider spectral-response dye XY1b produces a highly efficient and stable DSC with the PCE of 13.5% under standard AM1.5 G, 100 mW cm−2 solar radiation. Remarkably, the co-sensitized solar cell (active area of 2.8 cm2) presents a record PCE of 34.5% under ambient light, rendering it very attractive as an ambient light harvesting energy source for low power electronics.

Open-Circuit Photovoltage Measurements Towards Determination of the Quintessential Features of Metal Titanates in Photo(Electro)catalytic Applications

Conduction band potential is one of the most crucial physicochemical properties of semiconductor towards photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical aplications. Inexpensive home-made Arduino devices is proposed for determination of flat band potential, based on the well-established method: open-circuit photovoltage measurements. To verify proposed measurement procedure, series of titanates has been prepared by a straightforward hydrothermal procedure and characterized – band structure of materials has been determined, in terms of band gap energy and conduction band edge potential. Finally we demonstrated the photocatalytic formation of superoxide anion radical. Interestingly, the efficiency of O2-• can be correlated, in part, with the potential of conduction band edge. Photocatalyst characterized by particularly low potential of conduction band edge can generate the superoxide anion radical with highest efficiency.

A plasmon modulated photothermoelectric photodetector in silicon nanostripes

We report a plasmon modulated silicon nanostripe PTE detector with an open-circuit photovoltage responsivity of ∼82 mV μW−1.

Thiocyanate Free Ruthenium(II) Complexes for Dye Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs)

The four thiocyanate free ruthenium(II) complexes; [Ru(N^N)2(C^N)]PF6were synthesized and characterized for dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The results showed that the broad absorptions covered the visible region from metal to ligand charge transfer (MLCT) were obtained with the main peaks at 560, 490 and 400 nm. The materials were studied DSSC performance under standard AM 1.5. Compound PP1 showed the power conversion efficiency (PCE) at 3.10%, with a short-circuit photocurrent density (Jsc) of 7.99 mA cm-2, an open-circuit photovoltage (Voc) of 563 mV and a high fill factor (ff) of 0.690.

Screen printed carbon CsPbBr3 solar cells with high open-circuit photovoltage

Mesoporous carbon solar cells were prepared by infiltrating the porous substrate with inorganic CsPbBr3 solution. The films were post-annealed at different temperatures; post-annealing at 400 °C strongly enhances the open circuit voltage (1.44 V) and cell efficiency (8.2%).