Excellent Light Response Research Articles

High sensitivity and ultra-low detection limit of ethylene glycol gas sensor based on 0D carbon dots modified ZnO in multicolor light illumination

Ethylene glycol (EG) is a widely used material, but its vapor is harmful to human health already in low concentrations. Thus, highly sensitive EG gas sensors are urgently needed. Herein, a series samples of ZnO and carbon dots (CDs) were synthesized at different ratios through a simple mechanical grinding method. The senor made using ZnO/CDs2 exhibits an ultra-high response (Ra/Rg) to 100 ppm EG up to 2798, 1378 and 467, and extremely low detection limit as low as 21 ppb, 13 ppb and 2 ppb, under UV light, visible light, and infrared light, respectively, as well as excellent repeatability and long-term stability. Especially, under UV light irradiation, the response of ZnO/CDs2 to 100 ppm EG is 24 times that of pure ZnO (Ra/Rg = 114.7), and more than 71 times that of 9 other gases. The outstanding gas sensing performance of ZnO/CDs2 can be attributed to the excellent light response ability of CDs at first, which greatly enriches the electron concentration in ZnO/CDs under light irradiation. Furthermore, the photo-induced electron transfer (PET) property of CDs and the p-n heterojunction formed at the interface between ZnO and CDs play a key role in rapid electron transport and transfer, avoiding a large number of electron hole recombination.

Stable WSeTe/PtTe2 van der Waals heterojunction: Excellent mechanical, electronic, and optical properties and device applications

Janus WSeTe and PtTe2 monolayers have attracted much attention due to their outstanding electronic properties. To explore their combined advantages and to find new physics, we construct WSeTe/PtTe2 vdW heterojunctions and use the most stable configurations A4 and B1 to explore their various physical properties and device applications. It is found that both A4 and B1 hold exceptional mechanical properties. They are type-II semiconductors, and types of band alignment and band gap size can be tuned flexibly by external electric field and vertical strain. Based on such a property, we design a strain-controlled high on–off-ratio mechanical switching device. They also show an excellent light response and high photoelectric power conversion efficiency (PCE), which can be tuned greatly by the external electric field and vertical strain as well. For example, light adsorption in visible and infrared region can be improved greatly by the compressive strain. Particularly, we find for B1 in the intrinsic state or with a small tensile strain of 0.3 Å, or for A4 with small electric field of −0.3 V/Å, they all hold type-II band alignment and have very high PCE and large visible light absorption, based on these results, we propose high-performance solar cell devices.

Two-dimensional hybrid perovskite crystals for highly sensitive and stable UV light detector

Two-dimensional metal halide perovskites (2D MHPs) are promising candidates for ultraviolet (UV) light detection due to their narrow band gap and high stability in the air atmosphere. MHP crystals, with fewer defects and grain boundaries than polycrystalline films, are more suitable for photodetectors and other advanced semiconductor devices. In this paper, aimed to fabricate high-performance UV light detector, a series of high-quality and large-sized 2D perovskite crystals with the composition of (BA)2Pb(ClxBr1-x)4 were prepared and the best UV responsibility was found in the (BA)2Pb(Cl0.1Br0.9)4 crystal. Despite the detector was fabricated by the simple silver brushing method, it exhibits high responsivity of 3.19 mA/W, high detection rate of 3.87 × 1011 Jones, and fast response speed to UV light of 340 nm under the bias of 20 V. Moreover, the detector shows remarkable light sensitivity even under extremely weak UV illumination of 5.4 μW/cm2 and satisfactory stability during a long-duration switching operation. The excellent light response performance of the (BA)2Pb(Cl0.1Br0.9)4 detector was ascribed to the very low dark current (0.84 pA) of the detector, which highly relies on the crystal quality of the light-absorbing perovskites. The relationship between the structural and the compositional characteristics of (BA)2Pb(Cl0.1Br0.9)4 and its light response property was analyzed. This work provides a promising candidate material for sensitive UV detection and high-performance photodetectors.

The enhancement of large photochromic coloration contrast with rapid responsive behavior in Ba3MgSi2O8:Dy3+ ceramics for instant information displays

Designing photochromic systems with information displays has been seldom studied but is critical to the realization of instant hand-writable system. Previous instant hand-writable systems with inorganic photochromic materials limited to low color contrast. Herein, by controlling the sintering environment and ion doping concentration, an excellent light response is achieved by engineering the formation of oxygen vacancy defects in Ba3MgSi2O8:0.25%Dy3+, the maximum color contrast as high as 80.7%. A hand-rewritable system fabricated using these photochromic materials exhibits excellent writing and erasing reversibility in response to UV illumination and thermal stimulus. In addition, a large luminescence modulation of 86.2% is achieved due to the well overlap between the emission peak of Dy3+ and the absorption peak of Ba3MgSi2O8. The resulting insights will be useful to researchers in inducing oxygen vacancy defects in high-performance inorganic photochromic systems for superior functional design.

Electron-buffer-mediated dual Z-scheme ZnSe/Ag2Se/AgBr heterojunction for efficient CO2 photocatalytic reduction

Design of photocatalysts with high-efficiency for sunlight utilization is one of the prerequisites for CO2 photoreduction. Besides, modulating a stable electron-donating environment to meet the energy barrier for CO2 reduction to CO is crucial. In this work, the ZnSe/Ag2Se/AgBr (ZAA) heterojunction was fabricated by growing the ZnSe on the AgBr surface accompanied by in-situ generation of Ag2Se between the two components by hydrothermal process. Results showed that the ZAA exhibited excellent light response ability over the full wavelength range. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and electron spin resonance (ESR) demonstrated that the charge transfer of the ZAA conformed to dual Z-scheme mechanism, with the Ag2Se acting as an electron transfer bridge, which in turn acted as an electron reservoir to accelerate electron transfer, facilitating carriers’ separation. The highest CO yield of 54.14 µmol/g/h was obtained from the optimal ZAA-2, which was 11.76 and 10.44 times of pure ZnSe and Ag2Se, respectively. This work demonstrated the feasibility of a dual Z-scheme heterostructure with full spectrum response for offering stable electron-donating environment and improving electron transfer for enhanced photocatalytic activity.

Recent Clay-Based Photocatalysts for Wastewater Treatment

Photocatalysis is a remarkable methodology that is popular and applied in different interdisciplinary research areas such as the degradation of hazardous organic contaminants in wastewater. In recent years, clay-based photocatalyst composites have attracted significant attention in the field of photocatalysis owing to their abundance, excellent light response ability, and stability. This review describes the combination of clay with focusing photocatalysts such as TiO2, g-C3N4, and Bi-based compounds for degrading organic pollutants in wastewater. Clay-based composites have more active surface sites, resulting in inhibited photocatalyst particle agglomeration. Moreover, clay enhances the creation of active radicals for organic pollutant degradation by separating photogenerated electrons and holes. Thus, the functions of clay in clay-based photocatalysts are not only to act as a template to inhibit the agglomeration of the main photocatalysts but also to suppress charge recombination, which may lengthen the electron–hole pair’s lifespan and boost degrading activity. Moreover, several types of clay-based photocatalysts, such as the clay type and main photocatalyst, were compared to understand the function of clay and the interaction of clay with the main photocatalyst. Thus, this study summarizes the recent clay-based photocatalysts for wastewater remediation and concludes that clay-based photocatalysts have considerable potential for low-cost, solar-powered environmental treatment.

Evaluation of the novel Blue Emitting Phosphor with High Thermal Stability and High Color Purity for Solid State Lighting Applications - Ca2MgSi2O7: Eu2 +

This study deals with the new blue release LED phosphor activated by Eu2+. The luminescence properties of blue-emitting phosphor di-Calcium magnesium di-Silicate (Ca2MgSi2O7) doped with europium Eu2+are extensively investigated. This phosphor is produced by the high-temperature solid-state reaction method. The phase structure and crystalline size, surface morphology and elemental analysis were investigated by X-ray diffraction technique (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The optical properties are investigated by photoluminescence (PL) properties. Phase structure of Ca2MgSi2O7: Eu2 + is a carbonite-type structure belonging to tetragonal crystallography with the space group P4̅21m; this structure forms a member and layered compound in the Myelite group. The surface of the prepared phosphors is not detected uniformly and the particle distribution is within the nanometer range. EDX ensures components of Eu2 + doped Ca2MgSi2O7 phosphor. Under UV induction, the main emission peak appeared at 470 nm. This emission peak is attributed to the typical emission of Eu2+ due to the 4F9/2 → 6H15/2 transition. The blue light-emitting properties and excellent light response of these silicate phosphors make them suitable for photonic applications and open new avenues for solid-state lighting, cathode ray tubes, fluorescent lamps and scintillators etc. The phosphor system has been researched as a new candidate for phosphor-converted white light-emitting diode (LED) applications.

Versatile Janus structured integrated device for photodynamic heat transformation

The interface photodynamic heat transformation technology is one of the most promising solar energy application technologies. Despite the vigorous development of high-efficiency interface conversion materials, hindrances such as low conversion rate and poor stability are still encountered. Herein, the Cu0.95V2O5 (CuVO) protected by the Janus structure based on copper foam (CF) was successfully prepared and applied to photodynamic steam generation for the first time. Among them, the epoxy resin coating ensures the stability of CuVO in hostile environments and promotes the absorption rate of the absorber in the infrared band. The evaporation rate of the Janus evaporator stabilized at 1.75 kg m−2 h−1 after 1 h in real seawater (1 kw m−2). The super-hydrophilic/hydrophobic Janus structure was applied to sewage treatment and has achieved an ion removal rate of up to 99.9%. Meanwhile, the absorber has excellent light response performance, and can accurately monitor the outdoor sun illumination in a small surface temperature range. In this study, the epoxy-protected Janus evaporator demonstrates a new paradigm for photodynamic water treatment with outstanding characteristics such as low heat loss, high evaporation rate, super salt resistance, and self-cleaning performance, providing an effective strategy for the application of photodynamic materials as a sensor.

Hydrothermal preparation and visible-light photocatalytic activity of bismuth layer structure Na0.5Bi2.5Nb2O9 nanoplates

Nanoparticles of bismuth-layered ferroelectric and photocatalytic material, Na0.5Bi2.5Nb2O9, have been prepared by hydrothermal method synthesis, the raw materials include Bi(NO3)3, NaOH and Nb2O5. The phases and morphologies of the samples are characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The photocatalytic performance of the Na0.5Bi2.5Nb2O9 powders were evaluated by degradation of methylene blue(MB) molecules (λ>400 nm). The results show that the phases of Na0.5Bi2.5Nb2O9 particle is pure orthorhombic bismuth layer structure at 160 °C and 10 h. The morphology of the sample is flake-like, the thickness size is 25 nm, and the edge size is 200 nm. Na0.5Bi2.5Nb2O9 sample has excellent light response performance in the ultraviolet-visible wavelength range, with a band gap of 2.55 eV, and it exhibits photocatalytic performance for photocatalytic decomposition of MB under ultraviolet-visible light irradiation. As novel of visible-light-driven photocatalysts, Na0.5Bi2.5Nb2O9 with a two-layer Aurivillius structure has a great potentially application in environment-protection field.

Fast response and broadband self-powered photodetectors based on CZTS/SiNW core-shell heterojunctions for health monitoring

In this work, fast response and broadband self-powered photodetectors based on heterojunctions of vertical smooth silicon nanowires (SiNWs) were proposed, which were achieved through spin-coating p-CZTS on top of n-SiNWs adopting a simple two-step method. First, CZTS was uniformly and tightly attached to the sidewalls of SiNWs in the form of nanoparticles. The prepared CZTS/SiNWs core-shell heterojunctions exhibited typical rectification characteristics in dark and excellent light response characteristics in light illumination. Our device could perform self-driven detection under the UV-VIS-NIR light irradiation without an external energy supply. The responsivity and specific detectivity were estimated to be 14 mAW-1 and 1.5 × 1011 Jones, which can be improved to 0.35 AW-1 and 1.2 × 1013 Jones at −1.5 V bias. In addition, the present device also possesses distinct advantages of a large Ilight/Idark ratio exceeding 4.25 × 104, fast response rate with rise/fall times of 1.4/14.2 μs, and outstanding environmental stability. Finally, a heart rate health monitoring application by CZTS/SiNWs detector was proposed. All these results may pave a way for the real application of the self-driven detector in the field of health monitoring in the future.

SiO2/MXene/Poly(tetrafluoroethylene)-Based Janus Membranes as Solar Absorbers for Solar Steam Generation

Water treatment through interface photothermal conversion using solar energy is a sustainable strategy for freshwater supply. Because the preparation method of highly efficient photothermal conversion materials with commercial value is the only way for the industrialization of solar steam generation, the preparation method and the rational design of photothermal materials are particularly important. In this work, the high-efficiency photothermal conversion material MXene nanosheets and low thermal conductivity SiO2 were coated on a hydrophilic poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (HPTFE) membrane by a commercial continuous spraying system to produce a SiO2/MXene/HPTFE Janus membrane. They possess excellent mechanical properties, high stability, and 93.0% light absorption. The prepared evaporator can be used for water treatment with a photothermal evaporation rate of 1.53 kg m–2 h–1, achieving a uniform and effective 85.6% solar thermal conversion efficiency, which is superior to most reported work. The removal rate of wastewater and organic pollutants can reach 99.9%. At the same time, the two-dimensional Janus membrane has excellent salt resistance and self-cleaning ability, making it easy to store and transport. It is also used to build sensor systems. The sensor has an excellent light response and can accurately measure solar radiation density and temperature in a short time. Therefore, the use of commercial spraying systems provides a cost-effective and energy-saving strategy for photothermal evaporators and sensors to reduce the use of photothermal materials, achieve higher photothermal evaporation rates, and expand the application direction of photothermal materials.

Bi@BiOx(OH)y modified oxidized g-C3N4 photocatalytic removal of tetracycline hydrochloride with highly effective oxygen activation

A novel Bi@BiOx(OH)y-modified oxidized g-C3N4 photocatalyst was successfully prepared via wet chemical reduction under alkaline conditions for the tetracycline hydrochloride removal. The prepared materials were characterized comprehensively and fully. Sufficient structural representation analyses confirmed the successful loading of Bi in the form of Bi@BiOx(OH)y complex beads. Based on basic photocatalytic studies, 10% (mass percentage) was found to be the best metal Bi loading. DRS, PL, transient photocurrent and EIS have explored the improvement of the photochemical properties of materials by loading Bi@BiOx(OH)y groups, particularly the improvement of photocatalytic properties by the SPR effect and electron traps. 10%Bi-OxCN exhibited the most suitable particle size of nonagglomerated Bi-metal groups, the largest specific surface area (43.53 m2 g–1), the most adsorption sites and the most significant photocurrent (8.694 × 10−2 mA cm−2) (7.78 times that of OxCN). This indicated that 10%Bi-OxCN had good adsorption capacity and excellent light response capability. In addition, 10%Bi-OxCN showed the best tetracycline hydrochloride removal efficiency (96.0%), with ∙O2– as the main active substance and 1O2 as the second most important substance made of ∙O2– and h+. The excellent photocatalytic effect and good reusability were fundamentally dependent on the modification of OxCN by Bi@BiOx(OH)y groups to produce a large number of active substances (including the separation efficiency of electron-hole pairs and the generation efficiency of ∙O2− and 1O2). These advantages are all related to the high specific surface area, a large number of active sites, narrow bandgap width, Bi-SPR effect, and BiOx(OH)y electron trap caused by successful loading of Bi groups.

A one-structure-layer PDMS/Mxenes based stretchable triboelectric nanogenerator for simultaneously harvesting mechanical and light energy

Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) has attracted enormous interests since it is able to efficiently convert various energies into electrical energy and drive low-power personal electronic sensors. However, TENG is usually restricted to harvest mechanical energy, and the realization of TENG with the ability to harvest light energy is rarely reported. In this work, a multifunctional stretchable TENG using polydimethylsiloxane/Mxenes composites as triboelectric layer is demonstrated, which is able to simultaneously harvest mechanical and light energy. Beneficial from the highly electronegative surface and intense surface plasmon excitations property of Mxenes, our TENGs exhibit high mechanical energy conversion efficiency and excellent light response property. Compared to the device without illumination, the open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current with light illumination increased from 145 to 453 V, and 27 to 131 μA, respectively, and the instantaneous light power conversion efficiency achieved 19.6%. Meanwhile, our TENGs are demonstrated to detect sound instructions and wind speed, which can inspect frequency, amplitude, and speed in various environments. Furthermore, TENG actuated color-tunable LED matrix is fabricated to develop an environmental interaction visualization system. This work greatly expands the functionality of TENG in energy harvesting, and provides a universal strategy for simultaneously harvesting mechanical and light energy in a one-structure-layer-based TENG.

Capturing functional two-dimensional nanosheets from sandwich-structure vermiculite for cancer theranostics

Clay-based nanomaterials, especially 2:1 aluminosilicates such as vermiculite, biotite, and illite, have demonstrated great potential in various fields. However, their characteristic sandwiched structures and the lack of effective methods to exfoliate two-dimensional (2D) functional core layers (FCLs) greatly limit their future applications. Herein, we present a universal wet-chemical exfoliation method based on alkali etching that can intelligently “capture” the ultrathin and biocompatible FCLs (MgO and Fe2O3) sandwiched between two identical tetrahedral layers (SiO2 and Al2O3) from vermiculite. Without the sandwich structures that shielded their active sites, the obtained FCL nanosheets (NSs) exhibit a tunable and appropriate electron band structure (with the bandgap decreased from 2.0 eV to 1.4 eV), a conductive band that increased from −0.4 eV to −0.6 eV, and excellent light response characteristics. The great properties of 2D FCL NSs endow them with exciting potential in diverse applications including energy, photocatalysis, and biomedical engineering. This study specifically highlights their application in cancer theranostics as an example, potentially serving as a prelude to future extensive studies of 2D FCL NSs.

Fabrication of stable high-performance urchin-like CeO2/ZnO@Au hierarchical heterojunction photocatalyst for water remediation

In this paper, the urchin-like CeO2/ZnO@Au photocatalyst was rationally designed and prepared through hydrothermal method, chemical precipitation and photo reduction deposition. The optimal photocatalyst (CZA8) degraded Rhodamine B (RhB), 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) and Naproxen (NPX) about 100% within 20 min, 91.4% within 60 min and 88.9% within 30 min under Xe lamp illumination, respectively. Besides, the CZA8 possesses outstanding photo corrosion resistance capacity which has been verified with the cycle degradation experiments. The photocatalyst displays excellent light response and efficient separation of photo-induced carriers due to the fabrication of type-II heterojunction, the presence of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect and as well as the oxygen vacancy. The oxygen vacancy was systematically characterized by XPS, PL and Raman. Moreover, the photocatalytic degradation pathways are proposed based on the LC-MS results. Finally, a novel photocatalytic mechanism for photocatalytic oxidation of RhB, 4-NP and NPX is discussed and schematically illuminated.

Polydopamine modified ammonium polyphosphate modified shape memory water‐borne epoxy composites with photo‐responsive flame retardant property

AbstractShape memory epoxy (SMEP) is a high performance shape memory polymer; however, is extremely flammable which severely restricts its applications. In this work, a novel polydopamine modified ammonium polyphosphate (PDA@APP) flame retardant was prepared to improve the flame retardant and enrich the response method of SMEP. Through flame retardancy test confirmed that the flame retarding properties of the PDA@APP/WEP composites significantly improved than the APP/WEP composites, the limiting oxygen index (LOI) values of the APP/SMEP and the PDA@APP/SMEP samples increased by 29.8% and 32.2%, respectively. Moreover, the PDA@APP/WEP composites had excellent light response shape‐memory performance. Interestingly, the PDA@APP/WEP treated polyester fabric exhibited excellent light crease recovery performance and excellent flame retardant property. This work develops a new method for fabric crease recovery and will help broaden the application of WEP and its composites.

Photocatalytic Reduction of CO2 to CO over 3D Bi2MoO6 Microspheres: Simple Synthesis, High Efficiency and Selectivity, Reaction Mechanism

It has been a promising approach for directly utilizing solar energy to convert CO2 into clean renewable chemical fuels over photocatalysts with excellent photoreactivity, CO2 adsorption capacity and reasonable redox potentials. In this work, as-synthesized 3D Bi2MoO6 microspheres with cross-stacking nanosheets via a simple hydrothermal method have been investigated for photocatalytic CO2 reduction, and characterized by XRD, UV–Vis DRS, SEM, HRTEM and BET. It was found that as-prepared samples exhibited high Bi2MoO6 purity, large specific surface area, excellent light response and CO2 adsorption capacity, achieving superior photocatalytic CO2 reduction activity and selectivity of CO yield (41.5 μmol g−1 h−1). Moreover, the photocatalytic reaction mechanism for CO2 reduction to CO over 3D Bi2MoO6 microspheres was investigated and proposed. Finally, COOH* was verified to be a key intermediate for photocatalytic CO2 reduction to CO by the analysis of in-situ FTIR. Our findings should provide excellent foundation and guidance for boosting photocatalytic CO2 conversion to CO with enhanced effective and selective ability. 3D Bi2MoO6 microspheres with cross-stacking nanosheets exhibit large specific surface area, excellent light response and CO2 adsorption capacity. COOH*, as a key reaction intermediate, can significantly reduce the activation energy of CO2.

Plasma-Doped Si Nanosheets for Transistor and p-n Junction Application.

Since the discovery of graphene, layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have been considered promising materials for applications in various fields because of their fascinating structural features and physical properties. Doping in semiconducting TMDs is essential for their practical application. In this regard, two-dimensional (2D) Si materials have emerged as a key component of 2D electronic, optics, sensing, and spintronic devices because of their complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) compatibility, high-quality oxide formation, moderated bandgap, and well-established doping techniques. Here, we report the tuning of the electronic properties of Si nanosheets (NSs) using a plasma-doping technique. Using this doping process, we fabricated p-n homojunction diodes and transistors with Si NSs. The estimated high ON/OFF ratio of ∼106 and field-effect hole mobility of 329 cm2 V-1 s-1 suggest a high crystal quality of the Si NSs. We also demonstrate vertically stacked heterostructured p-n junction diodes with MoS2, which exhibit rectifying properties and excellent light response.

Light-responsive vesicles based on azobenzene containing imidazolium surfactants and sodium oleate

In this work, three light responsive imidazolium surfactants containing azobenzene moiety (CmAZOCnIMB, m = 0, 2, 4 and m + n = 6), namely, 1-[2-(4-phenylazo-phenoxy)-ethyl]-7-methylimidazolium bromide (C0AZOC6IMB), 3-[2-(4-phenylazo-phenoxy)-ethyl]-7-methylimidazolium bromide (C2AZOC4IMB), and 5-[2-(4-phenylazo-phenoxy)-ethyl]-7-methylimidazolium bromide (C4AZOC2IMB), were developed. These surfactants showed strong micellization tendency in the aqueous solution with their critical micelle concentrations (cmc) highly depending on the location of azobenzene moiety. Moreover, they also showed innate light response with excellent reversibility attributing to the trans-and cis-isomerization of azobenzene moiety under UV- and visible-light irradiation, respectively. Phase behavior showed that the addition of CmAZOCnIMB in the sodium oleate (NaOA) aqueous solution could induce the apparent growth of aggregates from spherical micelles to vesicles via wormlike micelles. Moreover, the presence of CmAZOCnIMB also endowed the catanionic systems with excellent light response, i.e., the typically reversible vesicle to multi-connected wormlike micelle network transitions. Static light scattering and dynamic rheological measurements were employed to characterize the turbidity and viscosity variation during the transitions. The morphological changes between vesicles and wormlike micelles were demonstrated by cryogen transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) observation. Moreover, the transition mechanism was illustrated by 1H NMR and 2D Noesy spectra.

Cosensitization of porphyrin dyes with new X type organic dyes for efficient dye-sensitized solar cells

Herein, we developed two new X type D-(π-A)2 organic dyes JX1 and JX2, and cosensitized with porphyrin dyes JP1 and JP3 for DSSCs. For JX1 and JX2, the electron donors were modified with alkylbenzene containing long carbon chains, which can effectively inhibit dye aggregation and reduce charge recombination. Meanwhile, two benzoic acid groups were used as anchoring groups, we can see that the binding ways of JX1 and JX2 were both tetradentate mode from FT-IR analysis, this strategy helps to enhance the adsorption stability of dye molecules and increase the amount of dye adsorption. The DSSC based on JX1 showed a PCE of 3.67%, and the DSSC based on JX2 showed a higher PCE of 4.36%, the difference between them should be mainly attributed to the higher dye adsorption and better light-harvesting ability of JX2. In addition, developing new and efficient dyes is not the only way to improve performance of DSSCs, cosensitization is also one of the effective ways to achieve this goal. Although porphyrin has good optical absorption properties, there is a weak absorption in the range of about 500–600 nm, cosensitization can make up for the defect in this range well. After cosensitization, the effects on light-harvesting ability, photovoltaic performance and charge recombination were studied in detail. Obviously, the DSSC based on JP3+JX2 showed excellent light response and a high PCE of 8.08%, which exhibited remarkable PCE improvements of 26% compared with the DSSC based on JP3 (6.40%). The results show that method of filling up porphyrin dye with suitable organic dyes can effectively improve the performance of DSSCs.