Predicting solar-cell dyes for cosensitization

A major limitation of using organic dyes for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) has been their lack of broad optical absorption. Cosensitization, in which two complementary dyes are incorporated into a DSC, offers a route to combat this problem. Here we construct and implement a design route for materials discovery of new dyes for cosensitization, beginning with a chemically compatible series of existing laser dyes which are without an anchor group necessary for DSC use. We determine the crystal structures for this dye series and use their geometries to establish the DSC molecular design prerequisites aided by density-functional theory and time-dependent density-functional theory calculations. Based on insights gained from these existing dyes, modified sensitizers are computationally designed to include a suitable anchor group. A DSC cosensitization strategy for these modified sensitizers is predicted, using the central features of highest-occupied and lowest-unoccupied molecular orbital positioning, optical absorption properties, intramolecular charge-transfer characteristics, and steric effects as selection criteria. Through this molecular engineering of a series of existing non-DSC dyes, we predict new materials for DSC cosensitization. © 2014, American Chemical Society