Novel di-anchoring dye for DSSC by bridging of two mono anchoring dye molecules: A conformational approach to reduce aggregation

Two mono anchoring dye molecules were bridged together to give a new di-anchoring bis-merocyanine dye which possessed a non-planar conformation on a TiO2 surface, a feature that impedes intermolecular aggregation of the dye in the adsorbed state. This dye also showed enhanced molar absorptivity and increased adsorption on TiO2. A dye sensitized solar cell based on the bis-merocyanine dye yielded enhanced power conversion efficiency of 6.1%.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights► A new di-anchoring bis-merocyanine dye synthesized for DSSC. ► Non-planar confirmation of the dye on the TiO2 impedes intermolecular aggregation. ► New dye showed enhanced molar absorptivity and increased adsorption on TiO2.