Determination of the light-induced degradation rate of the solar cell sensitizer N719 on TiO2 nanocrystalline particles

Abstract

The oxidative degradation rate, kdeg, of the solar cell dye (Bu4N+)2[Ru(dcbpyH)2(NCS)2]2-, referred to as N719 or [RuL2(NCS)2], was obtained by applying a simple model system. Colloidal solutions of N719-dyed TiO2 particles in acetonitrile were irradiated with 532-nm monochromatic light, and the sum of the quantum yields for the oxidative degradation products [RuL2(CN)2], [RuL2(NCS)(CN)], and [RuL2(NCS)(ACN)], Phideg, was obtained at eight different light intensities in the range of 0.1-16.30 mW/cm2 by LC-UV-MS. The Phideg values decreased from 3.3 x 10-3 to 2.0 x 10-4 in the applied intensity range. By using the relation kdeg = Phidegkback and back electron-transfer reaction rates, kback, obtained with photoinduced absorption spectroscopy, it was possible to calculate an average value for the oxidative degradation rate of N719 dye attached to TiO2 particles, kdeg = 4.0 x 10-2 s-1. The stability of N719 dye during solar cell operation was discussed based on this number, and on values of the electron-transfer rate between [Ru(III)L2(NCS)2] and iodide ion that are available in the literature.