High-Performance Porphyrin-Based Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells with Iodine and Cobalt Redox Shuttles

ChemSusChem. 2017 Mar 9;10(5):938-945. doi: 10.1002/cssc.201601617. Epub 2017 Feb 21.

Abstract

Recently, enormous research passion has been devoted to enhance the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of porphyrin sensitizers for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), but the major stumbling block is the absorption defect in the visible-light region. To address this challenge, high-performance DSSCs are reported based on a new donor-π-acceptor sensitizer FW-1, 7H-dibenzo[c,g]carbazole-substituted and fused zinc porphyrin, co-sensitized with a benzotriazole-containing dye (WS-5) in iodine and cobalt redox systems, and high PCEs of 10.21 and 10.42 %, respectively, were obtained. An unprecedented breakthrough was obtained by making one sensitizer suitable for several electrolyte systems because of its appropriate molecular orbitals and co-sensitizer.

Keywords: cobalt; dye-sensitized solar cells; electrochemistry; iodine; redox chemistry.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cobalt / chemistry*
  • Coloring Agents / chemistry*
  • Electric Power Supplies
  • Iodine / chemistry*
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Conformation
  • Oxidation-Reduction
  • Porphyrins / chemistry*
  • Solar Energy*

Substances

  • Coloring Agents
  • Porphyrins
  • Cobalt
  • Iodine