Buffer Layers May Reduce Recombination in Solid State Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (Invited)

The dye-sensitized solar cell is a new and renewable energy device that aims to compete with conventional fuels with its low cost and ease to manufacture. While the efficiencies of dye-sensitized solar cells are improving, they are not yet cost-competitive with current energy sources such as coal. Our project focuses on improving the efficiency of these organic solar cells by adding a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) in between the electron donor, a dye called Z907, and the semiconductor, nanoporous titania (TiO2). This SAM will theoretically reduce an unfavorable process called recombination, in which the light-excited electrons fall from their high-energy state directly back into the dye or hole-transport medium, instead of flowing through the circuit. The SAM molecules that we are using have a phosphonic acid head which should bind readily to the TiO2, and an amine group tail to tether the dye. To deposit the SAMs, the phosphonic acids are first dissolved in an organic solvent with the help of either acid (HCl) or base (KOH). We used Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) to see what differences there were between acidic and basic deposition. FTIR analysis showed greater attachment of SAMs using acidic solutions rather than basic solutions for two out of the three SAMs. In the third, deposition was fairly even. By developing a reliable procedure to deposit SAMs onto titania, we will be able to more accurately test the effects of SAMs on dye-sensitized solar cells. This could improve the efficiencies of these organic devices and possibly offer a greener and cost-competitive alternative to fossil fuels.