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Introducing manganese complexes as redox mediators for dye-sensitized solar cells

Version 2 2024-06-13, 10:37
Version 1 2017-07-13, 10:55
journal contribution
posted on 2024-06-13, 10:37 authored by IR Perera, A Gupta, W Xiang, T Daeneke, U Bach, RA Evans, CA Ohlin, L Spiccia
The abundance and low toxicity of manganese have led us to explore the application of manganese complexes as redox mediators for dye sensitized solar cells (DSCs), a promising solar energy conversion technology which mimics some of the key processes in photosynthesis during its operation. In this paper, we report the development of a DSC electrolyte based on the tris(acetylacetonato)manganese(iii)/(iv), [Mn(acac)3](0/1+), redox couple. PEDOT-coated FTO glass was used as a counter electrode instead of the conventionally used platinum. The influence of a number of device parameters on the DSC performance was studied, including the concentration of the reduced and oxidized mediator species, the concentration of specific additives (4-tert-butylpyridine, lithium tetrafluoroborate, and chenodeoxycholic acid) and the thickness of the TiO2 working electrode. These studies were carried out with a new donor-π-acceptor sensitizer K4. Maximum energy conversion efficiencies of 3.8% at simulated one Sun irradiation (AM 1.5 G; 1000 W m(-2)) with an open circuit voltage (VOC) of 765 mV, a short-circuit current (JSC) of 7.8 mA cm(-2) and a fill factor (FF) of 0.72 were obtained. Application of the commercially available MK2 and N719 sensitizers resulted in an energy conversion efficiency of 4.4% with a VOC of 733 mV and a JSC of 8.6 mA cm(-2) for MK2 and a VOC of 771 mV and a JSC of 7.9 mA cm(-2) for N719. Both dyes exhibit higher incident photon to current conversion efficiencies (IPCEs) than K4.

History

Journal

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics

Volume

16

Pagination

12021-12028

Location

England

ISSN

1463-9076

eISSN

1463-9084

Language

English

Publication classification

C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2014, Royal Society of Chemistry

Issue

24

Publisher

ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY