Triphenylamine-based dyes bearing functionalized 3,4-propylenedioxythiophene linkers with enhanced performance for dye-sensitized solar cells.

Introduction of modified 3,4-propylenedioxythiophene units into triphenylamine-based dyes is found to enhance light capturing, suppress dye aggregation, and remarkably retard charge recombination in dye-sensitized solar cells. Open circuit voltages of the as-synthesized dyes (approximately 800 mV) are much higher than that with a thiophene congener (720 mV) under similar conditions as a result of self-passivation benefiting from their three-dimensional branched structures.