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  4. In-situ mapping of the molecular arrangement of amphiphilic dye molecules at the TiO2 surface of dye sensitized solar cells
 
research article

In-situ mapping of the molecular arrangement of amphiphilic dye molecules at the TiO2 surface of dye sensitized solar cells

Voitchovsky, Kislon
•
Ashari Astani, Negar  
•
Tavernelli, Ivano  
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2015
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces

Amphiphilic sensitizers are central to the function of dye-sensitized solar cells. It is known that the cells performance depends on the molecular arrangement and the density of the dye on the semiconductor surface, but a molecular-level picture of the cell-electrolyte interface is still lacking. Here, we present subnanometer in situ atomic force microscopy images of the Z907 dye at the surface of TiO2 in a relevant liquid. Our results reveal changes in the conformation and the lateral arrangement of the dye molecules, depending on their average packing density on the surface. Complementary quantitative measurements on the ensemble of the film are obtained by the quartz-crystal microbalance with dissipation technique. An atomistic picture of the dye coverage-dependent packing, the effectiveness of the hydrophobic alkyl chains as blocking layer, and the solvent accessibility is obtained from molecular dynamics simulations.

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Type
research article
DOI
10.1021/acsami.5b01638
Web of Science ID

WOS:000355382800025

Author(s)
Voitchovsky, Kislon
Ashari Astani, Negar  
Tavernelli, Ivano  
Tetreault, Nicolas
Rothlisberger, Ursula  
Stellacci, Francesco
Grätzel, Michael  
Harms, Hauke Arne
Date Issued

2015

Published in
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
Volume

7

Issue

20

Start page

10834

End page

10842

Subjects

atomic force microscopy

•

dye-sensitized solar cells

•

Z907

•

molecular dynamics simulations

•

liquid phase

Editorial or Peer reviewed

REVIEWED

Written at

EPFL

EPFL units
LCBC  
Available on Infoscience
May 7, 2015
Use this identifier to reference this record
https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/113746
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