| dc.description.abstract | The world is in dire need for a shift towards green and renewable energy sources due to the increasing effects of global warming being felt around the globe. Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) is one of numerous solar cell technologies which has seen a surge in research and development in recent years. DSSCs stands as a semi-transparent, flexible, cheap and highly tuneable alternative which can contend against the more conventional silicon-based solar cells.
In this study, three novel phenothiazine-based chromophores (MSN-004 – MSN-006), in addition to a reference dye (MSN-003), bearing different anchoring groups have been synthesized. MSN-003 and MSN-004 were synthesized following a five-step synthesis in a total yield of 15 and 3% respectively, and MSN-005 and MSN-006 were synthesized in a total yield of 1 and 10% following a three-step synthesis. Optical analyses were conducted on the dyes MSN-003, MSN-004 and MSN-006 before and after adsorption on the TiO2-semiconductor in order to ascertain the influence the anchoring groups has on the optical properties of the chromophores. In addition, the photovoltaic performance and dye-loading properties of said dyes were also measured.
A bathochromic shift of absorption was measured for MSN-004 and MSN-006 when adsorbed onto the TiO2-semiconductor, whereas MSN-003 gave a hypsochromic shift. A correlation between the photovoltaic performance and dye-loading was also found, ranking the dyes in descending order of PCE and dye loading: MSN-003 >> MSN-004 > MSN-006. | |
