Enhanced light-harvesting efficiency by Förster resonance energy transfer in quasi-solid state DSSC using organic blue dye

We have demonstrated Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) between organic fluorescent materials (as an energy donor) doped in fluorinated-polymer gel electrolyte and organic blue dye (as an energy acceptor on TiO2 surfaces in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs)). The judicious choice of the energy donor and electron acceptor allows a strong spectral overlap of the emission/absorption of energy donor and acceptor, which could enhance the light-harvesting characteristics of the energy acceptor in quasi-solid DSSCs. The power conversion efficiency of DSSCs containing fluorescent material in a quasi-solid electrolyte increased by 19% over a pristine cell. The optimized cell architecture fabricated with the quasi-solid state DSSC containing the organic blue dye on a photoanode shows a maximum efficiency of 2.15%, with a short-circuit current density (Jsc) of 4.32 mA cm−2 and an open-circuit voltage (Voc) of 0.68 V under illumination of simulated solar light (AM 1.5G, 100 mW cm−2).