Fluorine-thiophene-substituted organic dyes for dye sensitized solar cells

Novel triphenylamine (TPA)-based organic dyes were synthesized and assessed for their performance in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). In the dyes considered the TPA group and the cyanoacetic acid have the role of electron-donor and -acceptor, respectively, whereas a thienyl-fluoro-phenyl-substituted was introduced as p-linker to improve the dye performance in DSSCs. Experimental characterizations empasize that the presence of electron withdrawing substituents in the linker close to the electron-acceptor moiety leads to a more efficient intramolecular photoinduced charge transfer. In fact, photovoltaic experiments reveal that the DSSCs based on the thienyl-o-fluoro-phenyl substituted dyes yield a better solar-energy-to-electricity conversion efficiency.