Ultrafast charge separation dynamics of twisted intramolecular charge transfer state (TICT) in coumarin dye sensitized TiO₂ film: a new route to achieve higher efficient dye-sensitized solar cell

Ultrafast transient spectroscopy of 7-diethyl amino coumarin 3-carboxylic acid (D-1421) sensitized TiO2 film reveals that TICT states facilitate higher charge separation and slow recombination and proved to be new route to design higher efficient solar cell

Relaxation dynamics in the excited states of a ketocyanine dye probed by femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy

Relaxation dynamics of the excited singlet states of 2,5-bis-(N-methyl-N-1,3-propdienylaniline)-cyclopentanone (MPAC), a ketocyanine dye, have been investigated using steady-state absorption and emission as well as femtosecond time-resolved absorption spectroscopic techniques. Following photoexcitation using 400 nm light, the molecule is excited to the S2 state, which is fluorescent in rigid matrices at 77 K. S2 state is nearly non-fluorescent in solution and has a very short lifetime (0.5±0.2 ps). In polar aprotic solvents, the S1 state follows a complex multi-exponential relaxation dynamics consisting of torsional motion of the donor groups, solvent re-organization as well as photoisomerization processes. However, in alcoholic solvents, solvent re-organization via intermolecular hydrogen-bonding interaction is the only relaxation process observed in the S1 state. In trifluoroethanol, a strong hydrogen bonding solvent, conversion of the non-hydrogen-bonded form, which is formed following photoexcitation, to the hydrogen-bonded complex has been clearly evident in the relaxation process of the S1 state

Ultrafast electron transfer dynamics in sensitised TiO₂ nanoparticles

We have studied electron transfer dynamics between TiO2 nanoparticles and molecular adsorbates using femtosecond mid-infrared spectroscopy. We have demonstrated that dynamics of the injected electrons in TiO2 could be directly monitored through their mid-IR absorption and those of the adsorbates could be measured by their vibrational spectral change. Ru(dcbpy)2(NCS)2 (dcbpy=2,2'-bypyridine-4,4'-dicarboxylate) sensitized TiO2 nanocrystalline films were studied as a model system for ultrafast electron injection from the excited state of the sensitizer to nanoparticles. Optical excitation of the MLCT band at 400 nm promotes an electron from a filled Ru d orbital to the π* orbital of the dcbpy ligand. The subsequent electron injection to TiO2 was found to occur with a time constant of ca 50 fs by directly measuring the transient IR absorption signal of the injected electrons in TiO2. These injection dynamics are as fast as, if not fast than, the electronic or vibrational relaxation within the excited states. Back electron transfer from nanoparticles to the adsorbates was studied in interfacial charge transfer complexes formed by Fe(II)(CN)64- and TiO2 colloidal nanoparticles. Optical excitation at 400 nm directly promotes an electron from Fe(Il)(CN)64- to TiO2 as indicated by the measured instrument-response—function limited appearance time of transient IR signal. The back electron transfer time from TiO2 to Fe(III)(CN)63- was measured by the bleach recovery of CN stretching mode. A highly non-single-exponential recombination process was observed and was tentatively attributed to different recombination rates for injected electrons trapped at different sites in TiO2. The measured decay of the IR absorption of electrons can be attributed to back electron transfer and electron trapping. Since the back electron transfer kinetics can be measured independently, the trapping dynamics can be determined. Electron trapping dynamics in a bulk crystal and nanocrystalline thin films were found to be similar in the first nanosecond, showing a »1 ns decay time. Trapping dynamics are much faster in the colloidal nanoparticles, indicating a much higher trap state density

Ultrafast proton coupled electron transfer (PCET) dynamics in 9-anthranol-aliphatic amine system

Femtosecond infrared absorption studies strongly suggest that photoexcited 9-anthranol takes part in an ultrafast electron transfer (ET) reaction in electron-donating triethylamine solvent, but that ultrafast proton coupled electron transfer (PCET) occurs in diethylamine solvent

Sub-picosecond injection of electrons from excited [Ru(2,2′-bipy-4,4′-dicarboxy)₂(SCN)₂] into TiO₂ using transient mid-infrared spectroscopy

We have used femtosecond pump-probe spectroscopy to time resolve the injection of electrons into nanocrystalline TiO2 film electodes under ambient conditions following photoexcitation of the adsorbed dye, [Ru(4,4’-dicarboxy-2,2’-bipyridine)2(NCS)2] (N3). Pumping at one of the metal-to-ligand charge transfer adsorption peaks and probing the absorption of electrons injected into the TiO2 conduction band at 1.52 µm and in the range of 4.1 to 7.0 µm, we have directly observed the arrival of the injected electrons. Our measurements indicate an instrument-limited ~50-fs upper limit on the electron injection time under ambient conditions in air. We have compared the infrared transient absorption for noninjecting (blank) systems consisting of N3 in ethanol and N3 adsorbed to films of nanocrystalline Al2O3 and ZrO2, and found no indication of electron injection at probe wavelengths in the mid-IR (4.1 to 7.0 µm). At 1.52 µm interferences exist in the observed transient adsorption signal for the blanks

Experimental and theoretical study into interface structure and band alignment of the Cu2Zn1–xCdxSnS4 heterointerface for photovoltaic applications

To improve the constraints of kesterite Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) solar cell, such as undesirable band alignment at p–n interfaces, bandgap tuning, and fast carrier recombination, cadmium (Cd) is introduced into CZTS nanocrystals forming Cu2Zn1–xCdxSnS4 through cost-effective solution-based method without postannealing or sulfurization treatments. A synergetic experimental–theoretical approach was employed to characterize and assess the optoelectronic properties of Cu2Zn1–xCdxSnS4 materials. Tunable direct band gap energy ranging from 1.51 to 1.03 eV with high absorption coefficient was demonstrated for the Cu2Zn1–xCdxSnS4 nanocrystals with changing Zn/Cd ratio. Such bandgap engineering in Cu2Zn1–xCdxSnS4 helps in effective carrier separation at interface. Ultrafast spectroscopy reveals a longer lifetime and efficient separation of photoexcited charge carriers in Cu2CdSnS4 (CCTS) nanocrystals compared to that of CZTS. We found that there exists a type-II staggered band alignment at the CZTS (CCTS)/CdS interface, from cyclic voltammetric (CV) measurements, corroborated by first-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations, predicting smaller conduction band offset (CBO) at the CCTS/CdS interface as compared to the CZTS/CdS interface. These results point toward efficient separation of photoexcited carriers across the p–n junction in the ultrafast time scale and highlight a route to improve device performances

Revealing the electronic structure, heterojunction band offset and alignment of Cu2ZnGeSe4: a combined experimental and computational study towards photovoltaic applications

Cu2ZnGeSe4 (CZGSe) is a promising earth-abundant and non-toxic semiconductor material for large-scale thin-film solar cell applications. Herein, we have employed a joint computational and experimental approach to characterize and assess the structural, optoelectronic, and heterojunction band offset and alignment properties of CZGSe solar absorber. The CZGSe films were successfully prepared using DC-sputtering and e-beam evaporation systems and confirmed by XRD and Raman spectroscopy analyses. The CZGSe films exhibit a bandgap of 1.35 eV, as estimated from electrochemical cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements and validated by first-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations, which predicts a bandgap of 1.38 eV. A fabricated device based on the CZGSe as light absorber and CdS as a buffer layer yields power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 4.4% with VOC of 0.69 V, FF of 37.15, and JSC of 17.12 mA cm−2. Therefore, we suggest that interface and band offset engineering represent promising approaches to improve the performance of CZGSe devices by predicting a type-II staggered band alignment with a small conduction band offset of 0.18 eV at the CZGSe/CdS interface

Solution-processed Cd-substituted CZTS nanocrystals for sensitized liquid junction solar cells

The Earth-abundant kesterite Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) exhibits outstanding structural, optical, and electronic properties for a wide range of optoelectronic applications. However, the efficiency of CZTS thin-film solar cells is limited due to range of factors, including electronic disorder, secondary phases, and the presence of anti-site defects, which is key factor limiting the Voc. The complete substitution of Zn lattice sites in CZTS nanocrystals (NCs) with Cd atoms offers a promising approach to overcome several of these intrinsic limitations. Herein, we investigate the effects of substitution of Cd2+ into Zn2+ lattice sites in CZTS NCs through a facile solution-based method. The structural, morphological, optoelectronic, and power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of the NCs synthesized have been systematically characterized using various experimental techniques, and the results are corroborated by first-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The successful substitution of Zn by Cd is demonstrated to induce a structural transformation from the kesterite phase to the stannite phase, which results in the bandgap reducing from 1.51 eV (kesterite) to 1.1 eV (stannite), which is closer to the optimum bandgap value for outdoor photovoltaic applications. Furthermore, the PCE of the novel Cd-substituted liquid junction solar cell underwent a four-fold increase, reaching 1.1%. These results highlight the importance of substitutional doping strategies in optimizing existing CZTS-based materials to achieve improved device characteristics

Ultrafast interfacial charge transfer dynamics in dye-sensitized and quantum dot solar cell

Dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) appeared to be one of the good discovery for the solution of energy problem. We have been involved in studying ultrafast interfacial electron transfer dynamics in DSSC using femtosecond laser spectroscopy. However it has been realized that it is very difficult to design and develop higher efficient one, due to thermodynamic limitation. Again in DSSC most of the absorbed photon energy is lost as heat within the cell, which apart from decreasing the efficiency also destabilizes the device. It has been realized that quantum dot solar cell (QDSC) are the best bet where the sensitizer dye molecules can be replaced by suitable quantum dot (QD) materials in solar cell. The quantum-confinement effect in semiconductors modifies their electronic structure, which is a very important aspect of these materials. For photovoltaic applications, a long-lived charge separation remains one of the most essential criteria. One of the problems in using QDs for photovoltaic applications is their fast charge recombination caused by nonradiative Auger processes, which occur predominantly at lower particle sizes due to an increase in the Coulomb interaction between electrons and holes. Various approaches, such as the use of metal-semiconductor composites, semiconductor-polymer composite, and semiconductor core-shell heterostructures, have been attempted to minimize the fast recombination between electrons and holes. To make higher efficient solar devices it has been realised that it is very important to understand charge carrier and electron transfer dynamics in QD and QD sensitized semiconductor nanostructured materials. In the present talk, we are going to discuss on recent works on ultrafast electron transfer dynamics in dye-sensitized TiO₂ nanoparticles/film [1-12] and charge (electron/hole) transfer dynamics in quantum dot core-shell nano-structured materials [13-17]