Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
1670326 | Thin Solid Films | 2010 | 4 Pages |
Abstract
The electric-field and temperature dependence of hole photogeneration in chlorophyll a (Chla) have been analyzed in terms of electric-field assisted thermal dissociation of charge pairs based on Onsager theory. An excellent agreement between the experimental and theoretical values of the slope-to-intercept ratio, S/I, for the plot of photogeneration efficiency vs. electric field at low field strengths provides a proof for the applicability of the Onsager approach to the photogeneration of charges in Chla. A value of 19Â nm has been obtained for Coulomb capture radius, rc, from S/I. From the temperature dependence of photogeneration, the initial separation, r0, of photogenerated electron-hole has been evaluated, and has a value of 1.24Â nm. This smaller r0 compared to rc leads to a feeble dissociation probability of electron-hole pairs into free carriers, and may, among other factors, explain the low power conversion efficiencies of Chla photovoltaic cells.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Materials Science
Nanotechnology
Authors
Hassan Kassi, Saïd Barazzouk, Marc Brullemans, Roger M. Leblanc, Surat Hotchandani,