Charge separation and efficient light energy conversion in sensitized mesoscopic solar cells based on binary ionic liquids.

Journal article

A 7.4% power conversion efficiency at air mass (AM) 1.5 full sunlight was reached with a mesoscopic solar cell employing a new binary ionic liquid electrolyte composed of 1-propyl-3-methylimidazolium iodide and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tricyanomethanide in conjunction with the amphiphilic ruthenium complex NaRu(4-carboxylic acid-4'-carboxylate)(4,4'-dinonyl-2,2'-bipyridine)(NCS)(2), coded as Z-907Na. Ultramicroelectrode voltammetric, nanosecond laser transient absorbance, and photovoltaic measurements show that a high iodide concentration is required for dye regeneration to compete efficiently with charge recombination. A surprisingly fast reductive quenching process is turned on in pure iodide melts. This channel is unproductive, explaining the lower photocurrents observed under these conditions.

Authors: Wang, P; Wenger, B; Humphry-Baker, R; Moser, J; Teuscher, J

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: Journal of the American Chemical Society
• Volume: 127
• Issue: 18
• Pages: 6850-6856
• Publication date: 2005-05-01
• DOI: 10.1021/ja042232u
• EISSN: 1520-5126
• ISSN: 0002-7863
• Language: English