IR Study on N719 Dye Adsorption with High Temperature Dye Solution for Highly Efficient Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

N719 dye adsorption by immersing TiO2 electrodes in a high temperature N719 solution for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) was investigated by IR absorption spectroscopy using a multiple internal reflection geometry. In this study, an N719 dye solution of a mixture of 10 mL acetonitorile and 10 mL tertiary-butyl alcohol containing N719 at a concentration of 0.36 mg/mL was examined. When the solution temperature for dye adsorption was increased from 20 to 80 degrees C, the N719 dye chemisorbed on TiO2 with the bidentate bond was increased and this high temperature dye adsorption was effective in promoting power generation in the DSCs. Decreasing the solution temperature from room temperature to 0 degrees C resulted in an increase in the physisorbed dye on the TiO2 surface, which may rather deteriorate power generation. The IR absorption spectroscopy indicates the presence of an activation barrier for N719 to chemisorb on the TiO2 surface. A dye adsorption method using a high temperature dye solution for higher power generation efficiency is discussed in this paper. (C) 2010 The Electrochemical Society. [DOI: 10.1149/1.3485036] All rights reserved.