title: Resonance Raman Study of New Pyrrole-Anchoring Dyes for NiO-Sensitized Solar Cells.
abstract: Three dyes for p-type dye-sensitised solar cells containing a novel doubly anchored pyrrole donor group were synthesised and their solar cell performances were evaluated. Dye 1 was comprised of a phenyl-thiophene linker and a maleonitrile acceptor, which has been established as an effective motif in other push-pull dyes. Two boron dipyrromethane analogues, dyes 2 and 3, were made with different linker groups to compare their effect on the behaviour of these dyes adsorbed onto nickel oxide (dye|NiO) under illumination. The photoexcited states of dye|NiO were probed using resonance Raman spectroscopy and compared to dyes anchored using the conventional 4-aminobenzoic acid moiety (P1 and 4). All three components, the anchor, the linker and the acceptor group were found to alter both the electronic structure following excitation and the overall solar cell performance. The bodipy acceptor gave a better performance than the maleonitrile acceptor when the pyrrole anchor was used, which is the opposite of the triphenylamine push-pull dyes. The linker group was found to have a large influence on the short-circuit current and efficiency of the p-type cells constructed.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, The University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK.|School of Chemistry, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK.
authors.forename: Gareth H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Summers
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, The University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK.
authors.forename: Grace
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lowe
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, The University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK.
authors.forename: Jean-François
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Lefebvre
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, The University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK.
authors.forename: Simbarashe
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ngwerume
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (IPHT) Jena e. V., Albert-Einstein-Str. 9, 07745, Jena, Germany.|Institute for Physical Chemistry and Abbe Center of Photonics, Friedrich-Schiller University Jena, Helmholtzweg 4, 07743, Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Maximilian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bräutigam
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (IPHT) Jena e. V., Albert-Einstein-Str. 9, 07745, Jena, Germany.|Institute for Physical Chemistry and Abbe Center of Photonics, Friedrich-Schiller University Jena, Helmholtzweg 4, 07743, Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dietzek
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, The University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK.|Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH, UK.
authors.forename: Jason E
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7394-2101
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Camp
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, The University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK.|School of Chemistry, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK.
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6032-343X
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Gibson
keywords: Raman spectroscopy; dye-sensitised solar cell; electron transfer; nickel oxide; pyrrole