Application of 9-substituted 3,4-perylenedicarboxylic anhydrides as sensitizers for zinc oxide solar cell

A series of 9-substituted 3,4-perylenedicarboxylic anhydrides were examined as sensitizers for the zinc oxide solar cell prepared by a one-step cathode deposition template method. The best performance was obtained for the bromo derivative. The incident photon-to-current efficiency (IPCE) at 431 nm, maximum short-circuit photocurrent density (Isc), open-circuit photovoltage (Voc), fill factor (ff), and solar-light-to-electricity conversion efficiency (η) were observed to be 35.5%, 1.78 mA cm−2, 0.46 V, 0.64, and 0.52%, respectively.