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Wideband dye-sensitized solar cells employing a phosphine-coordinated ruthenium sensitizer

Nature Photonics volume 7, pages 535–539 (2013)Cite this article

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Abstract

Low-cost renewable energies are necessary for the realization of a low-carbon society. Organic photovoltaics such as organic thin-film solar cells1,2 and dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs)3,4 are promising candidates for realizing low-cost solar cells. However, device efficiencies are still considerably lower than those of traditional inorganic solar cells. To improve organic photovoltaic performance, approaches are needed to extend the absorption of organic compounds to longer wavelengths. Here, we report efficient DSSCs that exploit near-infrared, spin-forbidden singlet-to-triplet direct transitions in a phosphine-coordinated Ru(II) sensitizer, DX1. A DSSC using DX1 generated a photocurrent density of 26.8 mA cm−2, the highest value for an organic photovoltaic reported to date. A tandem-type DSSC employing both DX1 and the traditional sensitizer N719 is shown to have a power conversion efficiency of >12% under 35.5 mW cm−2 simulated sunlight.

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Figure 1: Chemical structure of sensitizers, absorption and emission of DX1 and BD, and time-resolved emission measurements.
Figure 2: Energy diagram of the components and device performance of the sensitizers.
Figure 3: Tandem cell structure and photocurrent J–V characteristics of the optimized tandem DSSCs.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. for help with photophysical measurements. This work was supported by a Funding Program for World Leading Innovative R&D on Science and Technology (FIRST Program) on Organic Photovoltaics, and by Research Fellowships of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) for Young Scientists (22-10095).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1, Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan

    Takumi Kinoshita, Joanne Ting Dy, Satoshi Uchida, Takaya Kubo & Hiroshi Segawa

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  1. Takumi Kinoshita
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  2. Joanne Ting Dy
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  3. Satoshi Uchida
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Contributions

T. Ki. and H.S. initiated the work and designed the research. T. Ki. synthesized the DX1 and performed measurements. J.T.D., S.U. and T. Ku. provided technical advice on the device design. All authors performed and analysed the experiments. T. Ki. wrote the text with the assistance of H.S.

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Correspondence to Hiroshi Segawa.

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Kinoshita, T., Dy, J., Uchida, S. et al. Wideband dye-sensitized solar cells employing a phosphine-coordinated ruthenium sensitizer. Nature Photon 7, 535–539 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2013.136

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