Advancing dye–DES synergies in dye-sensitized solar cells for improved indoor efficiency and long-term stability under sustainable conditions
Two carbazole-based donor-acceptor dyes, CBZ-Gly and CBZ-EG, featuring glycerol- and ethylene glycol-like side chains, were designed and synthesized to achieve synergistic compatibility with DES-based electrolytes, and systematically investigate their impact on DSSCs performance. These dyes were tested in DSSCs employing two neat deep eutectic solvent (DES) electrolytes (choline chloride/ethylene glycol and choline chloride/glycerol) under both simulated sunlight (AM 1.5G) and indoor lighting (1000 lux). By combining molecular-level dye design with a tailored DES-based electrolyte, we achieved an improvement in long-term device stability over several months and demonstrated a record indoor power conversion efficiency of 9.4%, thereby establishing a new benchmark for fully sustainable, DES-based DSSCs under low-light conditions.
Authors
- Alessandro Abbotto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0165-5581)
- V. Capriati
- Ottavia Bettucci (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1089-3549)
- Norberto Manfredi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3802-1953)
- Chiara Liliana Boldrini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7656-4476)
- Giorgia Salerno
Institutions
- University of Salerno (IT)
- University of Bari Aldo Moro (IT)
- University of Milano-Bicocca (IT)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Communications Chemistry
- Published
- 2026-01-30
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s42004-025-01821-7
- Primary Topic
- TiO2 Photocatalysis and Solar Cells
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- European Commission