Novel self-assembled isonicotinic acid derivative and zinc porphyrin dyads and applications in dye sensitized solar cells

Abstract A new self-assemblies based on double-deck dyes ZnTPP-Wi (i=1-3) were synthesized and applied in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Anchoring molecules (Wi i=1-3) consisting of phenyl carboxyl acid and cyanoacetic acid group. Capping layer dyes ZnTPP with anchoring molecules formed dyads by the coordination bonds of Zn-to-ligand self-assemblies solar cells devices. We herein report a consisting acylamide and cyanoacetic acid group W3 as an anchoring molecule for the axial coordination with upper zinc porphyrin ZnTPP. W3 was synthesized by introducing acylamide and cyanoacetic acid groups may inhibit adverse dye aggregation and improving electrons are effectively injected into the TiO 2 semiconductor surface. Thus, W3 anchoring molecules can be used to fabricate efficient solar cells with ZnTPP porohyrin dye, achieving good photoelectric performance, indicative of their general applicability in fabricating good-performance DSSCs. The assembled modes were also verified by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The photoelectrochemical efficiencies for dye ZnTPP-W3 are best than those of self-assembly dyes prevailingly ascribed to larger J sc and V oc .