11% efficiency solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells with copper(II/I) hole transport materials.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 28598436.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/ncomms15390 and PMC identifier 5472710.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells currently suffer from issues such as inadequate nanopore filling, low conductivity and crystallization of hole-transport materials infiltrated in the mesoscopic TiO<sub>2</sub> scaffolds, leading to low performances. Here we report a record 11% stable solid-state dye-sensitized solar cell under standard air mass 1.5 global using a hole-transport material composed of a blend of [Cu (4,4',6,6'-tetramethyl-2,2'-bipyridine)<sub>2</sub>](bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide)<sub>2</sub> and [Cu (4,4',6,6'-tetramethyl-2,2'-bipyridine)<sub>2</sub>](bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide). The amorphous Cu(II/I) conductors that conduct holes by rapid hopping infiltrated in a 6.5 μm-thick mesoscopic TiO<sub>2</sub> scaffold are crucial for achieving such high efficiency. Using time-resolved laser photolysis, we determine the time constants for electron injection from the photoexcited sensitizers Y123 into the TiO<sub>2</sub> and regeneration of the Y123 by Cu(I) to be 25 ps and 3.2 μs, respectively. Our work will foster the development of low-cost solid-state photovoltaic based on transition metal complexes as hole conductors.