Efficient dye-sensitized solar cells based on a 2-thiophen-2-yl-vinyl-conjugated ruthenium photosensitizer and a conjugated polymer hole conductor

Efficient dye-sensitized TiO2 solar cells based on a 2-thiophen-2-yl-vinyl-conjugated ruthenium photosensitizer and a conjugated polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) have been fabricated. A maximum power conversion efficiency of 2.6% is achieved when the mesoporous TiO2 layer is 5–6μm. The high fill factor (0.74), the open circuit voltage (0.78V), and the linear light intensity dependence of the short circuit current density (4.5mAcm−2 at 100mWcm−2) make these devices promising for solid state photovoltaic applications.