Dithienopyrrolobenzotriazole-based organic dyes with high molar extinction coefficient for efficient dye-sensitized solar cells

Four novel organic dyes DT1-DT4 containing a dithienopyrrolobenzotriazole unit were synthesized and applied in dye sensitized solar cells, where dithienopyrrolobenzotriazole moiety was introduced as a pi-spacer for the first time. The four dyes exhibited good light harvesting efficiency with high molar extinction coefficients and broad spectral response. The influence of the different electron donor on the photovoltaic performance was evaluated. The effects of the linear and branched alkyl chains in the pi-bridge on the photophysical, electrochemical and photovoltaic performance were systemically investigated. The results show that branched alkyl chains are better than linear alkyl chains in inhibition of intermolecular aggregation and electron recombination between the injection electrons and electrolyte. Finally, DT4 sensitized solar cell obtained a power conversion efficiency of 8.05%. These results indicate that the dithienopyrrolobenzotriazole-based organic sensitizer is a promising candidate for efficient dye sensitized solar cells. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.