The effect of bulky electron-donating thioether substituents on the performances of phthalocyanine based dye sensitized solar cells

A series of novel phthalocyanine derivatives with bulky electron-donating thioether substituents were synthesized in order to investigate the effect of sulfur atoms on the solar-cell performances of zinc-phthalocyanine based dye-sensitized solar cells. Incorporation of sulfur atoms onto the phthalocyanine periphery resulted in a red shift of the absorption spectrum. In terms of solar cell performance, using sulfur atoms decreased quantum efficiency probably due to lower injection efficiency caused by the symmetrical electronic structure and lower excited state level.

Automated summary

Incorporation of sulfur atoms onto zinc-phthalocyanine molecules led to a red shift in the absorption spectrum and decreased solar cell performance, likely due to the symmetrical electronic structure and lower excited state level caused by sulfur atoms.