Merocyanine Dye-Sensitization of Polythiophene in a Conjugated Polymer/TiO2 p-n Hetero-Junction Solar Cell

In the blended solid of merocyanine (MC) and polythiophene (PTh)/TiO2 p-n hetero-junction solar cells, a hole-transfer from the excited state of MC to the groundstate of PTh accelerated the charge separation in the depletion layer formed at the TiO2/MC+PTh interface, enhancing the photovoltaic properties. That is, the blended solar cell is not a so-called Gratzel cell being sensitized by mono-layer dyes chemically adsorbed on the TiO2 electrode, but rather the enhanced photovoltaic properties are attributable to the dye-sensitization of the conjugated polymer.