Efficient and Stable Z907-Based Dye-Sensitized Solar\nCells Enabled by Suppressed Charge Recombination and Photocatalytic\nActivity

Dye-sensitized\nsolar cells (DSSCs) based on the TiO<sub>2</sub> photoanode are promising\ncontenders for photovoltaic technology.\nHowever, the TiO<sub>2</sub> photoanode shows severe charge recombination\nand leads to rapid photodegradation of absorbed dyes due to its photocatalytic\nactivity. Herein, we developed a hybrid photoanode by embedding a\nmultifunctional fulleropyrrolidine (PCBO-3) into a TiO<sub>2</sub> film. The hybrid film presents higher electron mobility, aligned\nenergy level with dyes, and reduced oxygen vacancy defects, synergistically\ncontributing to suppressed charge recombination and photocatalytic\nactivity. Moreover, the dye molecules can form hydrogen bonds with\nPCBO-3 molecules, thus enhancing dye loading and photon harvesting.\nThe resulting DSSCs based on hybrid photoanode yield efficiencies\nof 11.6% under standard one sun illumination and 32.8% under 1500\nlx dim light, representing the highest values for Z907-based DSSCs.\nThe encapsulated devices show enhanced long-term operational stability,\nretaining 76.8% and 89.3% of the initial PCE under standard one sun\nand dim light for 500 h, respectively. In contrast, only 48.9% and\n69.5% of their original efficiency could be maintained for control\ndevices. Our results suggest that hybrid anode is a facile approach\nto revitalizing DSSCs.