Asymmetric Dual Anchoring Sensitizers/Cosensitizers for Dye Sensitized Solar Cell Application: An Insight into Various Fundamental Processes inside the Cell

Abstract

To study the various fundamental processes occurring inside the dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC), we have fabricated devices employing newly synthesized diphenylamine-based organic dyes with A-D-π-A configuration, carrying four different anchoring groups, namely, cyanoacetic acid (DDC), rhodanine acetic acid (DDR), 4-hydrazinylbenzoic acid (DDH), and barbituric acid (DDB), as effective sensitizers/cosensitizers. In the present work, all the bianchoring dyes were subjected to photophysical, electrochemical, thermodynamic, photoelectrochemical, and theoretical studies. All of them displayed characteristic λabs and λemi in the range of 415–480 and 570–680 nm, respectively. Their optical and electrochemical band gaps were calculated to be in the order of 2.1 to 2.3 eV. The calculated driving forces for electron injection (ΔGinj), recombination (ΔGinj), and regeneration (ΔGreg) processes were found to be negative, showing the feasibility of these processes, while their DFT studies clearly indicated the directi...