Novel quinoxaline-based organic sensitizers using vertical (RC-21) and horizontal (RC-22) conjugation between an electron-donating triphenylamine unit and electron-accepting quinoxaline unit have been synthesized and used for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), leading to the relatively high power conversion efficiencies of 3.30 and 5.56% for RC-21 and RC-22, respectively. This result indicates...

Octahedral and cubic NiS2 nanocrystals enclosed by {111} and {100} planes were separately used as counter electrodes (CEs) incorporated into Pt-free dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The DSSC assembled by NiS2 octahedrons exhibited a conversion efficiency of 5.98%, better than that by NiS2 cubes (5.43%). DFT calculations indicate that the better catalytic effect could be ascribed to higher su...

We developed plasmonic dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) with tailor-designed Au-TiO₂ nanostructures integrated into the photoanode. Mutually antagonistic Au-TiO₂ core-shell structures supported on SiO₂ spheres (SiO₂@TiO₂@AuNP and SiO₂@AuNP@TiO₂) were prepared and incorporated as additives into the photoanodes of the DSSCs. The DSSCs employing the nanocrystalline-TiO₂ (nc-TiO₂)/SiO₂@TiO₂@AuNP ...

Four new organic dyes, 1–4, containing triphenylamine (TPA) donors connected through different acetylene linkages to fluorene bridges and cyanoacrylic acid acceptors were designed and synthetized for photoconversion in dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Their absorption spectra, electrochemical and photovoltaic properties were investigated. Shortening the bridge between the TPA moiety and the ...

Mangosteen peel is an inedible portion of a fruit. We are interested in using these residues as components of a dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC). Carbonized mangosteen peel was used with mangosteen peel dye as a natural counter electrode and a natural photosensitizer, respectively. A distinctive mesoporous honeycomb-like carbon structure with a rough nanoscale surface was found in carbonized ma...

Herein, we report three novel single donor double acceptor dyes, BH2, 4, and 6, for use in p-type dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). BH4 yields one of the highest photocurrents, 7.4 mA cm(-2), to date. The high performance is achieved via a shorter synthetic route and no exotic materials or cell-building techniques. We suggest a structural principle when building dyes whereby one adopts a doub...

In this study, poly(3,3-dibenzyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-thieno[3,4-b][1,4]dioxepine)/platinum composite films (PProDOT-Bz2/Pt) were used as counter electrodes (CEs) in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The composite films were prepared on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass by radio frequency (RF) sputtering to deposit platinum (Pt) for 30 s. Afterwards, PProDOT-Bz2 was deposited on the Pt–FTO glass...

We demonstrate a simple method to fabricate open-ended TiO(2) nanotube (NT) based dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), where the NTs are attached to either TiO(2) nanorods (NRs) grown on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) or FTO directly by nanoparticles (NPs). A completely hole-through TiO(2) NT layer is fabricated via a two-step anodization with heat treatment immediately after the first anodizati...