Alkylpyrrolidiniumtrialkoxysilyl iodides as organic iodide sources for dye-sensitised solar cells

摘要

Two new alkylpyrrolidiniumtriethoxysilyl iodides have been developed as iodide sources for DSSCs; the compound with an undecyl spacer between the siloxane and the pyrrolidinium moieties furnished higher open circuit voltages than the propyl analogue and higher efficiencies at low light intensity.rnDye-sensitised solar cells (DSSCs) have been an intensively investigated renewable energy technology since their initial report in 1991 by O'Regan and Graetzel. The design of the DSSC is a relatively simple one, consisting of a high band-gap semiconductor material, coated with a mono-layer of a highly absorbent dye which injects electrons into the semiconductor following irradiation with light. The electrons pass through conductive glass to the counter electrode, reducing a redox couple which then regenerates the oxidised dye, thereby completing the circuit. A large body of research has been reported relating to the effects that each component has on the device. In particular, the variation in DSSC performance with different semiconductors, dyes, redox couples and electrolytes has been widely studied.