Metal-free branched alkyl tetrathienoacene (TTAR)-based sensitizers for high-performance dye-sensitized solar cells

Yamuna Ezhumalai; Byunghong Lee; Miao Syuan Fan; Boris Harutyunyan; Kumaresan Prabakaran; Chuan Pei Lee; Sheng Hsiung Chang; Jen Shyang Ni; Sureshraju Vegiraju; Pragya Priyanka; Ya Wen Wu; Chia Wei Liu; Shuehlin Yau; Jiann T. Lin; Chun Guey Wu; Michael J. Bedzyk; Robert P.H. Chang; Ming Chou Chen; Kuo Chuan Ho; Tobin J. Marks

doi:10.1039/c7ta01825h

Metal-free branched alkyl tetrathienoacene (TTAR)-based sensitizers for high-performance dye-sensitized solar cells

Yamuna Ezhumalai, Byunghong Lee, Miao Syuan Fan, Boris Harutyunyan, Kumaresan Prabakaran, Chuan Pei Lee, Sheng Hsiung Chang, Jen Shyang Ni, Sureshraju Vegiraju, Pragya Priyanka, Ya Wen Wu, Chia Wei Liu, Shuehlin Yau, Jiann T. Lin, Chun Guey Wu, Michael J. Bedzyk, Robert P.H. Chang, Ming Chou Chen, Kuo Chuan Ho, Tobin J. Marks

Department of Chemistry

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52 Scopus citations

Abstract

A new series of metal-free alkylated tetrathienoacene (TTAR)-based organic chromophores, TPA-TTAR-TA (R = branched-C₈H₁₇, 1, TTAR-b8; R = C₁₅H₃₁, 2, TTAR-15; R = C₉H₁₉, 3, TTAR-9), are synthesized for application in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Due to the extensively conjugated TTAR π-bridge, all three dyes exhibit high extinction coefficients (1 × 10⁵ M^-1 cm^-1). By systematically exploring the effects of the TTAR alkyl chain substituents, a significant influence of the dye coverage (orientation) on the TiO₂ surfaces is observed. The branched-alkyl TTAR-b8 (1) promotes significant tilting and packing distortion on TiO₂ in comparison to more ordered monolayers of linear long alkyls TTAR-15 (2) and TTAR-9 (3). Photophysical measurements on the dye-grafted TiO₂ films reveal that the branched-alkylated TTA unit in 1 enhances the electron injection efficiency, in agreement with the high quantum efficiency. Notably, by utilizing a three-dimensional (3D) photonic crystal (PhC) layer to enhance the coherent scattering an increase the light absorption, TTAR-b8 exhibits higher short-circuit current densities and achieved a high PCE of 11.18%. TTAR-b8 is thus the best performing fused-thiophene-based organic DSSC dye reported to date.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	12310-12321
Number of pages	12
Journal	Journal of Materials Chemistry A
Volume	5
Issue number	24
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1039/c7ta01825h
State	Published - 2017

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10.1039/c7ta01825h

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Ezhumalai, Y., Lee, B., Fan, M. S., Harutyunyan, B., Prabakaran, K., Lee, C. P., Chang, S. H., Ni, J. S., Vegiraju, S., Priyanka, P., Wu, Y. W., Liu, C. W., Yau, S., Lin, J. T., Wu, C. G., Bedzyk, M. J., Chang, R. P. H., Chen, M. C., Ho, K. C., & Marks, T. J. (2017). Metal-free branched alkyl tetrathienoacene (TTAR)-based sensitizers for high-performance dye-sensitized solar cells. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 5(24), 12310-12321. https://doi.org/10.1039/c7ta01825h

@article{1ba1bc4316a84146a34b19e7fa893068,

title = "Metal-free branched alkyl tetrathienoacene (TTAR)-based sensitizers for high-performance dye-sensitized solar cells",

abstract = "A new series of metal-free alkylated tetrathienoacene (TTAR)-based organic chromophores, TPA-TTAR-TA (R = branched-C8H17, 1, TTAR-b8; R = C15H31, 2, TTAR-15; R = C9H19, 3, TTAR-9), are synthesized for application in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Due to the extensively conjugated TTAR π-bridge, all three dyes exhibit high extinction coefficients (1 × 105 M-1 cm-1). By systematically exploring the effects of the TTAR alkyl chain substituents, a significant influence of the dye coverage (orientation) on the TiO2 surfaces is observed. The branched-alkyl TTAR-b8 (1) promotes significant tilting and packing distortion on TiO2 in comparison to more ordered monolayers of linear long alkyls TTAR-15 (2) and TTAR-9 (3). Photophysical measurements on the dye-grafted TiO2 films reveal that the branched-alkylated TTA unit in 1 enhances the electron injection efficiency, in agreement with the high quantum efficiency. Notably, by utilizing a three-dimensional (3D) photonic crystal (PhC) layer to enhance the coherent scattering an increase the light absorption, TTAR-b8 exhibits higher short-circuit current densities and achieved a high PCE of 11.18%. TTAR-b8 is thus the best performing fused-thiophene-based organic DSSC dye reported to date.",

author = "Yamuna Ezhumalai and Byunghong Lee and Fan, {Miao Syuan} and Boris Harutyunyan and Kumaresan Prabakaran and Lee, {Chuan Pei} and Chang, {Sheng Hsiung} and Ni, {Jen Shyang} and Sureshraju Vegiraju and Pragya Priyanka and Wu, {Ya Wen} and Liu, {Chia Wei} and Shuehlin Yau and Lin, {Jiann T.} and Wu, {Chun Guey} and Bedzyk, {Michael J.} and Chang, {Robert P.H.} and Chen, {Ming Chou} and Ho, {Kuo Chuan} and Marks, {Tobin J.}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2017 The Royal Society of Chemistry.",

year = "2017",

doi = "10.1039/c7ta01825h",

language = "???core.languages.en_GB???",

volume = "5",

pages = "12310--12321",

journal = "Journal of Materials Chemistry A",

issn = "2050-7488",

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Ezhumalai, Y, Lee, B, Fan, MS, Harutyunyan, B, Prabakaran, K, Lee, CP, Chang, SH, Ni, JS, Vegiraju, S, Priyanka, P, Wu, YW, Liu, CW, Yau, S, Lin, JT, Wu, CG, Bedzyk, MJ, Chang, RPH, Chen, MC, Ho, KC & Marks, TJ 2017, 'Metal-free branched alkyl tetrathienoacene (TTAR)-based sensitizers for high-performance dye-sensitized solar cells', Journal of Materials Chemistry A, vol. 5, no. 24, pp. 12310-12321. https://doi.org/10.1039/c7ta01825h

TY - JOUR

T1 - Metal-free branched alkyl tetrathienoacene (TTAR)-based sensitizers for high-performance dye-sensitized solar cells

AU - Ezhumalai, Yamuna

AU - Lee, Byunghong

AU - Fan, Miao Syuan

AU - Harutyunyan, Boris

AU - Prabakaran, Kumaresan

AU - Lee, Chuan Pei

AU - Chang, Sheng Hsiung

AU - Ni, Jen Shyang

AU - Vegiraju, Sureshraju

AU - Priyanka, Pragya

AU - Wu, Ya Wen

AU - Liu, Chia Wei

AU - Yau, Shuehlin

AU - Lin, Jiann T.

AU - Wu, Chun Guey

AU - Bedzyk, Michael J.

AU - Chang, Robert P.H.

AU - Chen, Ming Chou

AU - Ho, Kuo Chuan

AU - Marks, Tobin J.

PY - 2017

Y1 - 2017

N2 - A new series of metal-free alkylated tetrathienoacene (TTAR)-based organic chromophores, TPA-TTAR-TA (R = branched-C8H17, 1, TTAR-b8; R = C15H31, 2, TTAR-15; R = C9H19, 3, TTAR-9), are synthesized for application in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Due to the extensively conjugated TTAR π-bridge, all three dyes exhibit high extinction coefficients (1 × 105 M-1 cm-1). By systematically exploring the effects of the TTAR alkyl chain substituents, a significant influence of the dye coverage (orientation) on the TiO2 surfaces is observed. The branched-alkyl TTAR-b8 (1) promotes significant tilting and packing distortion on TiO2 in comparison to more ordered monolayers of linear long alkyls TTAR-15 (2) and TTAR-9 (3). Photophysical measurements on the dye-grafted TiO2 films reveal that the branched-alkylated TTA unit in 1 enhances the electron injection efficiency, in agreement with the high quantum efficiency. Notably, by utilizing a three-dimensional (3D) photonic crystal (PhC) layer to enhance the coherent scattering an increase the light absorption, TTAR-b8 exhibits higher short-circuit current densities and achieved a high PCE of 11.18%. TTAR-b8 is thus the best performing fused-thiophene-based organic DSSC dye reported to date.

AB - A new series of metal-free alkylated tetrathienoacene (TTAR)-based organic chromophores, TPA-TTAR-TA (R = branched-C8H17, 1, TTAR-b8; R = C15H31, 2, TTAR-15; R = C9H19, 3, TTAR-9), are synthesized for application in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Due to the extensively conjugated TTAR π-bridge, all three dyes exhibit high extinction coefficients (1 × 105 M-1 cm-1). By systematically exploring the effects of the TTAR alkyl chain substituents, a significant influence of the dye coverage (orientation) on the TiO2 surfaces is observed. The branched-alkyl TTAR-b8 (1) promotes significant tilting and packing distortion on TiO2 in comparison to more ordered monolayers of linear long alkyls TTAR-15 (2) and TTAR-9 (3). Photophysical measurements on the dye-grafted TiO2 films reveal that the branched-alkylated TTA unit in 1 enhances the electron injection efficiency, in agreement with the high quantum efficiency. Notably, by utilizing a three-dimensional (3D) photonic crystal (PhC) layer to enhance the coherent scattering an increase the light absorption, TTAR-b8 exhibits higher short-circuit current densities and achieved a high PCE of 11.18%. TTAR-b8 is thus the best performing fused-thiophene-based organic DSSC dye reported to date.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85021661054&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1039/c7ta01825h

DO - 10.1039/c7ta01825h

M3 - 期刊論文

AN - SCOPUS:85021661054

SN - 2050-7488

VL - 5

SP - 12310

EP - 12321

JO - Journal of Materials Chemistry A

JF - Journal of Materials Chemistry A

IS - 24

ER -

Metal-free branched alkyl tetrathienoacene (TTAR)-based sensitizers for high-performance dye-sensitized solar cells

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