A series of novel 2D‐D‐π‐A‐type organic dyes, namely CCTTnA (n = 1–3), bearing bis(3,6‐di‐tert‐butylcarbazol‐9‐ylphenyl)aniline as an electron‐donor moiety (2D‐D), oligothiophene segments with a number of thiophene units from one to three units as π‐conjugated spacers (π), and cyanoacrylic acid as the electron acceptor (A) were synthesized and characterized as dye sensitizers for dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). These compounds exhibit high thermal and electrochemical stability. Detailed investigations of these dyes reveal that both peripheral carbazole donors (2D) have beneficial influence on the red‐shifted absorption spectrum of the dye in solution and dye adsorbed on TiO2 film, and the broadening of the incident monochromatic photon‐to‐current conversion efficiency (IPCE) spectra of the DSSCs, leading to enhanced energy conversion efficiency (η). Among these dyes, CCTT3A shows the best photovoltaic performance, and a maximal incident monochromatic photon‐to‐current conversion efficiency (IPCE) value of 80 %, a short‐circuit photocurrent density (Jsc) of 9.98 mA cm–2, open‐circuit voltage (Voc) of 0.70 V, and fill factor (FF) of 0.67, corresponding to an overall conversion efficiency η of 4.6 % were achieved. This work suggests that organic dyes based on this type of donor moiety or donor molecular architecture are promising candidates for improved performance DSSCs.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.