Crystal formation involving 1-methylbenzimidazole in iodide/triiodide electrolytes for dye-sensitized solar cells

Nitrogen heterocyclic compounds, such as N-methylbenzimidazole (MBI), are commonly used as additives to electrolytes for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs), but the chemical transformation of additives in electrolyte solutions remains poorly understood. Solid crystalline compound (MBI)(6)(MBI-H+)(2)(I-)(I-3(-)) (1) was isolated from different electrolytes for DSCs containing MBI as additive. The crystal structure of I was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. In the crystal structure, 1 contains neutral and protonated MBI fragments; iodide and triiodide anions form infinite chains along the crystallographic a-axis. The role of the solvent and additives in the crystallization process in electrolytes is discussed. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.