Phenoxazine Derivative Operates as an Efficient Surface‐Grafted Molecular Relay to Enhance the Performance and Stability of CdS‐ and CdSe‐Sensitized TiO2 Solar Cells. Issue 10 (7th April 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Shen, Chao; Wang, Xingzhu; Tang, Shasha; Courté, Marc; Fichou, Denis
• Is Part Of: Chemphyschem. Volume 18:Issue 10(2017)
• Page Start: 1302
• Page End: 1307
• Publication Date: 2017-04-07
• Subjects: cadmium -- energy conversion -- redox chemistry -- semiconductors -- sensitizers -- thin films; Chemistry, Physical and theoretical -- Periodicals; 541.05
• DOI: 10.1002/cphc.201700238
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1439-4235

Abstract

Abstract: We report on a new phenoxazine derivative, 10‐butyl‐phenoxazine‐3‐carboxylic acid (BPCA), that we designed to operate as a molecular relay in semiconductor‐sensitized solar cells (SSCs). After BPCA surface modification and in the presence of a cobalt‐bipyridyl complex acting as a redox mediator, both TiO2 /CdS/BPCA and TiO2 /CdSe/BPCA SSCs exhibit enhanced photovoltaic performance and stability. In particular, the power conversion efficiencies of CdS and CdSe‐based solar cells are improved by 90 % and 57 %, respectively. Furthermore, after 300 s the JSC of TiO2 /CdS/BPCA SSCs is stabilized at 30 % of its initial value, while in the same time CdS‐based devices retain only 1 % of their initial JSC . The origin of the improvement arises from the excellent electron‐donating property of BPCA and its role as a powerful molecular relay in non‐polysulfide based SSCs. Abstract : Relaying electrons : Enhanced performance and stability are achieved by constructing a phenoxazine molecular relay in CdS and CdSe‐sensitized TiO2 solar cells.