2P-471 : Carbazole-based organic dyes with different electron acceptors for dye-sensitized solar cells

Three kinds of carbazole-based organic dyes (1-3) with different electron anchoring/acceptors were designed and synthesized as sensitizers for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The photophysical and electrochemical properties of these dyes were investigated and their performance as sensitizers in DSSCs was measured. These dyes share the same donor (N-hexylphenylcarbazole) and π-spacer (thiophene), but differ in acceptor/anchoring groups incorporated, such as 2-cyanoacetic acid, rhodanine-3-acetic acid or 5-oxo-1-phenyl-2-pyrazolin-3-carboxylic acid to configure the novel double branched A-π-D-π-A framework. The dye with cyanoacetic acid electron acceptor exhibits the highest solar-to-electrical energy conversion efficiency of 3.9%.