Faculty Publications
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://idr.nitk.ac.in/handle/123456789/18736
Publications by NITK Faculty
Browse
6 results
Search Results
Item Carbazole based organic dyes as effective photosensitizers: A comprehensive analysis of their structure-property relationships(John Wiley and Sons Inc, 2022) Naik, P.; Keremane, K.S.; Elmorsy, M.R.; El-Shafei, A.; Vasudeva Adhikari, A.V.The present work describes the effect of structural modification of carbazole-based photosensitizers carrying carboxylic acid as a common anchoring functionality, on the photovoltaic parameters of newly fabricated DSSCs. In this study, we have selected our previously reported three carbazole-based derivatives, viz. S1-3 having different structural designs, that is, D-π-A (S1), D-D-π-A (S2), and A-π-D-π-A (S3) with different donor units and π-spacers, but an identical cyanoacetic acid anchoring unit. We have evaluated their optical, electrochemical, and photovoltaic behaviors in order to explore their structure-property relationships. Also, the theoretical investigations were performed to obtain a deeper understanding of their HOMO-LUMO levels, charge distribution in FMOs, directional flow of electrons within the push-pull type sensitizers, and optical behavior. Finally, the DSSCs were constructed by employing these dyes as sensitizers without any co-absorbents and the performance of the devices was evaluated by using illuminated current-voltage characteristics. Among the tested dyes, di-anchoring S3 exhibited improved PCE of 3.77 % due to its strong adsorption on the TiO2 surface that resulted in superior VOC of the cell. While the S2 containing electron-releasing anisole as an auxiliary donor exhibited better JSC value leading to the optimum PCE of 3.73 % which is comparable to that of S3. Obviously, these results validate the role of the π-spacer and additional donor of the sensitizers on the overall performance of the DSSCs. © 2021 The Authors. Electrochemical Science Advances published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.Item New Carbazole-Based Sensitizers for p-Type DSSCs: Impact of the Position of Acceptor Units on Device Performance(American Chemical Society, 2022) Keremane, K.S.; Pellegrin, Y.; Planchat, A.; Jacquemin, D.; Odobel, F.; Vasudeva Adhikari, A.V.We report the design, synthesis, and characterization of two new carbazole-based organic dyes PC1-2as potential sensitizers for NiO-based p-type dye-sensitized solar cells (p-DSSCs). The D-A-π-A' configured PC1dye comprises a thienyl unit as a π-spacer and a malononitrile as an end-capping acceptor unit, whereas in PC2the cyanovinylene group serves as an acceptor unit and a thienyl group acts as a donor unit in a D-A-D configuration. These molecules achieved excellent solubility due to their long-branched alkyl chains. The current work encompasses their structural, photophysical, thermal, electrochemical, theoretical, and photoelectrochemical studies, establishing structure-property relationships. PC1-2exhibit λabsand λemiin the range of 389-404 and 448-515 nm, respectively, with a band gap in the range of 2.88-2.92 eV. Electrochemical studies confirm the feasibility of electron injection, regeneration, and recombination. The introduction of an additional electron-withdrawing group (cyanovinylene group) on the dye PC1skeleton endows it with a higher dye loading capacity, high hole injection, and a strengthened intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) effect, resulting in a redshifted ICT absorption with a higher molar extinction coefficient. Among the two new dyes, the device based on PC1achieved the highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 0.027% with a short-circuit current density (JSC) of 1.29 mA·cm-2, open-circuit voltage (VOC) of 67 mV, and fill factor (FF) of 31%, whereas the device with dye PC2performed less efficiently (PCE: 0.018%, JSC: 0.92 mA·cm-2, VOC: 68 mV, and FF: 30%). Conclusively, the study provides insights into the intricacies involved in the structural modification of carbazole-based p-type dyads for the development of highly efficient DSSCs. © 2022 American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.Item 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.Item Push-pull carbazole twin dyads as efficient sensitizers/co-sensitizers for DSSC application: effect of various anchoring groups on photovoltaic performance(Royal Society of Chemistry, 2025) Keremane, K.S.; Abdellah, I.M.; Eletmany, M.R.; Naik, P.; Anees, P.; Vasudeva Adhikari, A.V.To investigate the effect of various anchoring groups of organic sensitizers on fundamental processes occurring inside DSSCs and their overall performance, we designed and synthesized nine new double donor-acceptor (D-A) type organic dyes DCH1-9 comprising carbazole-based twin molecules as electron donors, with a non-conjugated linear alkyl chain as an extended linker featuring multiple acceptor units. Their photophysical, thermal, electrochemical, and theoretical properties were examined to gain a deeper understanding of the structure-property relationship. Photophysical results revealed that all dyes display ?abs and ?emi in the range of 400-470 nm and 500-560 nm, respectively, with a bandgap in the range of 2.46-2.74 eV. The push-pull structure with extended conjugation results in strong fluorescence characteristics. Photophysical and electrochemical studies confirm their thermodynamic feasibility for electron injection, recombination, and dye regeneration in cells. Quantum chemical simulations further provided insights into their structural, electronic, and optical parameters. New DSSCs were fabricated employing dyes DCH1-9 as sensitizers/co-sensitizers. The cell sensitized with DCH1 achieved the highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 2.45% under standard AM 1.5 solar conditions. Furthermore, co-sensitization of DCH1-9 with the Ru-based HD-2 sensitizer resulted in an improved PCE of 8.82% for DCH2, surpassing HD-2 alone (6.79%). EIS studies were conducted to further explore their energy conversion processes. Conclusively, these investigations highlight the significant potential of dyes carrying carbazole twin molecules with different anchoring units in enhancing the overall performance of DSSCs. © 2025 The Royal Society of Chemistry.Item 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.Item 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.