2-Thiohydantoin Moiety as a Novel Acceptor/Anchoring Group of Photosensitizers for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Abstract

Very recently, we have reported the synthesis and evaluation of biological properties of new merocyanine dyes composed of triphenylamine moiety, π-aromatic spacer, and rhodanine/2-thiohydantoin-based moiety. Interestingly, 2-thiohydantoin has never been studied before as an electron-accepting/anchoring group for the dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). In the presented study, we examined the applicability of 2-thiohydantoin, an analog of rhodanine, in DSSC technology. The research included theoretical calculations, electrochemical measurements, optical characterization, and tests of the solar cells. As a result, we proved that 2-thiohydantoin might be considered as an acceptor/anchoring group since all the compounds examined in this study were active. The most efficient device showed power conversion efficiency of 2.59%, which is a promising value for molecules of such a simple structure. It was found that the cells’ performances were mainly attributed to the dye loading and the ICT molecular absorption coefficients, both affected by the differences in the chemical structure of the dyes. Moreover, the effect of the aromatic spacer size and the introduction of carboxymethyl co-anchoring group on photovoltaic properties was observed and discussed.

Impact of TiO2 Nanostructures on Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Performance

“…It can be noticed that the PCE of this device is the same as average efficiency taken over three devices. Taking into account the small errors, which confirm high repeatability of fabricated cells, only one device per kind with TiO 2 nanotubes and nanowires was prepared, similar as in other articles [ 54 , 71 ].…”

The TiO2-ZnO Systems with Multifunctional Applications in Photoactive Processes—Efficient Photocatalyst under UV-LED Light and Electrode Materials in DSSCs

“…The overall photon-to-current efficiencies ( η ) of all DSSCs utilizing ZnO-containing materials have been improved compared to TiO 2 cells. The η increase is the direct result of the increase in two other parameters, i.e., fill factors ( FF ), which is the energy loss related to inherent resistance in the photovoltaic cells [ 80 ], and photocurrent densities ( J SC ). The growth in FF values may suggest that the electron transport abilities of the ZnO-containing materials have been increased and/or the recombination rate has been suppressed.…”

“…The R S and R CE values, which are the series resistance, mainly depend on the parameters of the measuring system used and the resistance of the counter electrode used to build the cells, respectively. As it can be seen, they do not differ significantly between cells tested, do not depend on the semiconductor materials used, and do not considerably impact differences in the efficiency of the devices discussed [ 80 ]. The effect may cause the increase in the R CE parameter observed for the TiO 2 cells resulted from the increase of the R CT parameter in these cells or the minor differences in the Pt film thickness or discontinuities in the Pt layer [ 82 , 83 ].…”

How Can the Introduction of Zr4+ Ions into TiO2 Nanomaterial Impact the DSSC Photoconversion Efficiency? A Comprehensive Theoretical and Experimental Consideration

“…As described above, R 1 values are related to the FTO and external circuit resistance, and they correlate with FF values extracted from J-V curves, while R 2 values connected to the counter electrode are consistent one to another. The minor discrepancies in these two parameter values may be associated with the typical imperfect “hand-made” method of preparing DSSC in the presented research [ 32 ]. The more important in the EIS results is the R 3 parameter assigned to the electron transport at TiO 2 /dye/electrolyte interface corresponding with the overall photoconversion efficiency.…”

“…The viscous paste was prepared by mixing particulate samples with other components based on a ratio: 1 g of nanopowder, 1 mL of acetic acid, and 20 mL of ethanol, and it was kept in an ultrasound bath for 3 h. Afterward, a solution of 1.5 g of ethylcellulose, 10 mL of α-terpineol, and 13.5 g of ethanol was added to a nanopowders colloid. The above mixture was kept in an ultrasound bath for 1 h and finally stirred overnight [ 32 ]. Finally, the excess of ethanol was evaporated, and paste was spread on FTO glass via the “doctor blade” technique with scotch tape as a template (62.5 µm of thickness).…”