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Dye aggregation in dye-sensitized solar cells

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

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Authors

Cole, JM 
Zhang, L 

Abstract

Dye aggregation dictates structural and optoelectronic properties of photoelectrodes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), thereby playing an essential role in their photovoltaic performance. It is therefore important to understand this molecular phenomenon so that dye aggregation can be suitably controlled in DSSC devices. Accordingly, this review presents the molecular origins of dye aggregation, manifestations of hypsochromic (H) and bathochromic (J) dye aggregation in DSSCs, a classification of the molecular factors that cause this aggregation, and ways by which dye aggregation can be suppressed in cases where it is undesirable. To this end, a classification of molecular engineering methods that are being used in order to better understand and control dye aggregation is described. The review concludes with a broader outlook on how molecular aggregation in chromophores can similarly effect a wider range of optoelectronic phenomena.

Description

Keywords

3403 Macromolecular and Materials Chemistry, 34 Chemical Sciences

Journal Title

Journal of Materials Chemistry A

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

2050-7488
2050-7496

Volume Title

5

Publisher

Royal Society of Chemistry
Sponsorship
Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 (DF/05/14)
J. M. C. would like to thank the 1851 Royal Commission for the 2014 Design Fellowship hosted by Argonne National Laboratory, where work done was supported by DOE Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, under contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357. L. Z. acknowledges support by Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology (NUIST) Startup Fund, the Jiangsu Provincial Natural Science Foundation (Grant BK20160942), Jiangsu Province “Double Plan” (Grant 2191131700501/R2016SCB02), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51702165), the Nanjing Technology Foundation for Selected Overseas Chinese Scholar, Ministry of Personnel of China (Grant 2191011606901/R2016LZ01) and the Natural Science Fund for Colleges and Universities in Jiangsu Province (Grant 16KJB150027).