Monocarboxylic acid substituted zinc phthalocyanine as dye in solar cell applications

In this study, the synthesis and characterization of phthalocyanines with 4-terbutylphenoxy substituent groups and 2-carboxyphenylethinyl (ZnPc3) and 2-carboxyethynyl (ZnPc4) linker groups and dye sensitive solar cell applications were carried out. Characterizations of the synthesized ZnPc3 and ZnPc4 dyes were performed by taking FTIR, UV-Vis, H-NMR and PL curves. In addition, HOMO and LUMO energy levels were determined by electrochemical characterization of the synthesized dyes using CV and SWV techniques. The relationship between the HOMO and LUMO energy levels of the dyes, their use in DSSCs and their solar cell efficiency properties were investigated. In addition, in this study, TiO2 NPs were synthesized at different temperatures by hydrothermal method and XRD, FE-SEM and DRS characterizations were performed. The solar cell efficiency properties of the carboxy linker group with the phenyl group are partially higher than the carboxy linker group without the phenyl group. Among the synthesized phthalocyanine dyes, the highest solar cell efficiency was found in the sample prepared with 2-carboxyethynyl binding group ZnPc4, CDCA aggregation inhibitor. This complex dye was also found to have the lowest resistance, longest electron lifetime and shortest electron transport time according to electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) studies. The results obtained in this study, the effect of the addition of phenyl group to the binder groups, which play an active role in the adhesion of dyes to the photoanodes used in dye-sensitized solar cells, on the solar cell were investigated. Two new AB3 type phthalocyanines, which can absorb strongly in the near infrared region, have been added to dye-sensitized solar cells, and systems with relatively high solar cell efficiency have been developed, where alternative dyes have been developed for dye-sensitized solar cell applications.