Three horizontal anchor porphyrins for dye-sensitized solar cells: An optical, electrochemical and photovoltaic investigation.

Porphyrins are promising DSSC sensitizers focused on novel anchoring. Herein, three horizontal anchor zinc porphyrins have been designed, synthesized, and well-characterized. Their optical, photovoltaic, theory calculation and electrochemical performances in dye-sensitized solar cells were investigated. Absorption spectra indicated the stronger H-aggregation in ortho carboxylic acid anchor porphyrin ( o - ZnPA ) than that in meta carboxylic acid anchor porphyrin ( m - ZnPA ) on the surface of TiO 2 nanoparticles. The photoelectric conversion efficiency studies showed a significantly enhanced photovoltaic behavior for meta carboxylic acid anchor porphyrin ( m - ZnPA ) compared to meta tetrazolium anchor porphyrin ( m - ZnPTz ). The infrared spectroscopies, theory calculations and the electrochemical impedance spectroscopies revealed that carboxylic acid anchoring binding modes could increase the efficiency of electron injection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]