Development of D–π–A dye with (pyridiniumyl)alkanesulfonate as electron-withdrawing anchoring group for dye-sensitized solar cell

• We have developed D–π–A dye with (benzothienopyridiniumyl)propanesulfonate for DSSCs.
• The D–π–A dye is adsorbed onto the TiO2 electrode by the sulfonate group.
• The (pyridiniumyl)alkanesulfonate is one of the useful electron-withdrawing anchor.

A new D–π–A dye with a (benzo[4,5]thieno[2,3-c]pyridiniumyl)propanesulfonate as an electron-withdrawing anchoring group has been designed and developed as a photosensitizer for dye-sensitized solar cells. It was found that the new dye is adsorbed onto the TiO2 electrode through the formation of a bidentate bridging linkage between the sulfonate group of the dye and Lewis acid site on the TiO2 surface. The short-circuit photocurrent density of the fabricated solar cell based on the new dye is higher than that of a previous D–π–A dye sensitizer which contained a benzo[4,5]thieno[2,3-c]pyridine moiety as an electron-withdrawing anchoring group, but the open circuit photovoltage of the solar cell based on the new dye is lower than that measured for the previous analogue. On the basis of molecular orbital calculations and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis, the photovoltaic performance of DSSC based on the new D–π–A dye with the (pyridiniumyl)propanesulfonate is discussed by taking account of the adsorption states of the dye adsorbed on TiO2 electrode.

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