Faculty Publications

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    Push-Pull Phenoxazine-Based Sensitizers for p-Type DSSCs: Effect of Acceptor Units on Photovoltaic Performance
    (John Wiley and Sons Inc, 2022) Keremane, K.S.; Planchat, A.; Pellegrin, Y.; Jacquemin, D.; Odobel, F.; Vasudeva Adhikari, A.
    Finding new efficient p-type sensitizers for NiO photocathodes is a great challenge for the development of promising low-cost tandem dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Now, the focus of researchers investigating these cells has been to create high-performance p-type systems. With this intention, herein, the design and synthesis of six new phenoxazine-based donor–acceptor (D–A)-configured organic dyes PO1–6 was reported, comprising different acceptor moieties specially designed for the sensitization of mesoporous p-type semiconductor NiO for the construction of p-type DSSCs (p-DSSCs). This work includes structural, photophysical, thermal, electrochemical, theoretical, and photoelectrochemical studies of these dyes, including evaluation of their structure-property relationships. The optical studies revealed that PO1–6 displayed adequate absorption and emission features in the range of 480–550 and 560–650 nm, respectively, with a bandgap in the order of 2.05–2.40 eV, and their thermodynamic parameters favored an efficient interfacial charge transfer involving NiO. Among the six new dyes, the device based on sensitizer PO2 carrying electron-withdrawing 1,3-diethyl-2-thiobarbituric acid achieved the highest power conversion efficiency of 0.031 % (short-circuit current density=0.89 mA cm−2, open-circuit voltage=101 mV, and fill factor=35 %). Conclusively, the study furnishes an understanding of the intricacies involved in the structural modification of phenoxazine-based sensitizers to further ameliorate the performance of the p-type DSSCs. © 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.
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    New carbazole-based symmetric double D–A type chromophores for DSSC application: Impact of di-anchoring nature on photoelectrochemical processes
    (Elsevier B.V., 2025) Keremane, K.S.; Eletmany, M.R.; Abdellah, I.M.; Naik, P.; Vasudeva Adhikari, A.V.
    Herein, we report the systematic molecular design, synthesis, and characterization of a new series of carbazole-based organic dyes with a symmetric double donor–acceptor configuration, bearing seven different acceptor units as potential photosensitizers. The new molecules consist of strong electron-donating carbazole twin molecules linked together by a linear alkyl chain (C5H10) and attached to the various anchoring units, viz. cyanoacetic acid (DCP1), rhodanine-3-acetic acid (DCP2), rhodanine (DCP3), 1,3-dimethylbarbituric acid (DCP4), barbituric acid (DCP5), 1,3-diethyl-2-thiobarbituric acid (DCP6), and 4-nitrophenyl acetonitrile (DCP7). We performed structural, photophysical, thermal, electrochemical, and theoretical studies to assess the role of the dual anchoring nature of the chromophores on photoelectrochemical processes and their suitability as photosensitizers. The optical results revealed that all the dyes display ?abs and ?emi in the 404–465 nm and 503–556 nm range, respectively, with a bandgap of 2.44–2.70 eV. Furthermore, we have successfully fabricated new Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs) using dyes DCP1–7 as photosensitizers. Among them, DCP1 achieved the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of ?2 % under standard AM 1.5 solar conditions. Also, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) has been carried out to investigate electronic and ionic processes within the cell. Conclusively, these studies showcase the significant potential of carbazole twin molecules with various anchoring units in improving the overall performance of DSSCs. © 2025 Elsevier B.V.
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    Enhancing the Photoelectrochemical Performance of Ru(II)-Sensitized Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Using Cyanopyridine-Based Cosensitizers
    (John Wiley and Sons Inc, 2025) Naik, P.; Abdellah, I.M.; Abdel-Shakour, M.; Keremane, K.S.; Vasudeva Adhikari, A.V.
    The cosensitization approach is one of the widely adopted strategies for systematically enhancing photovoltaic performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) by utilizing two or more dyes with distinct absorption spectra. This method achieves panchromatic absorption, improves intramolecular charge transfer performance, prevents dye aggregation, and increases dye loading capability. In this study, we investigated four previously reported push–pull-type dianchored chromophores (CP1–4) featuring a cyanopyridine scaffold as cosensitizer to enhance the performance of Ru(II)-based N3-sensitized DSSCs. Both the co-sensitized devices (N3 + CP1–4) and the N3-only devices were fabricated using a fixed dye concentration of 0.2 mM for each sensitizer/cosensitizers, while the coadsorbent chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) was systematically varied between 0 and 20 mM. This systematic variation of CDCA concentration was designed to examine its role in suppressing dye aggregation and modulating interfacial charge dynamics. Among the Series, CP4, carrying a thiobarbituric acid anchoring/acceptor group, demonstrated superior performance at all CDCA concentrations, achieving power conversion efficiency of 6.67%, 6.79%, and 5.74%, compared to 6.02%, 6.10%, and 5.44% for devices sensitized with N3 alone. Further, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements confirmed the improved charge transport and reduced recombination in these devices. These findings highlight the potential of rationally engineered cosensitizers and optimized coadsorbent concentrations for enhancing the performance of metal-based sensitizers in DSSCs. © 2025 Wiley-VCH GmbH.