Design and synthesis of organic sensitizers for dye solar cells: molecular structure vs device performance

Identifier:  TDX:832

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TDX832

Authors:  Planells Dillundé, Miquel Angel

Abstract:
The present thesis focuses on the synthesis of organic chromophores as well as their use in optoelectronic devices, particulary in Dye Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSC). This kind of solar cell is based on a photoactive unit, a dye, anchored to a nanostructured metal-oxide semiconductor, usually TiO2, in a redox electrolyte media and sandwiched between two contact electrodes. In DSSC devices, each component (semiconductor, sensitizer and electrolyte) plays an important role in determining the final device efficiency, in a large part due to the charge transfer processes that take place at the TiO2/dye/electrolyte interface. Therefore, these charge transfer kinetics were studied using porphyrins, perylenes and donor -  - acceptor organic dyes in order to understand and establish a relationship between the molecular structure and the device performance. Improved understanding of this relationship is crucial for improved molecular design of future dyes for DSSC.