Two-electron photo-oxidation of betanin on titanium dioxide and potential for improved dye-sensitized solar energy conversion

Fritz J. Knorr; Deborah J. Malamen; Jeanne L. McHale; Arianna Marchioro; Jacques E. Moser

doi:10.1117/12.2063888

9 September 2014 Two-electron photo-oxidation of betanin on titanium dioxide and potential for improved dye-sensitized solar energy conversion

Fritz J. Knorr, Deborah J. Malamen, Jeanne L. McHale, Arianna Marchioro, Jacques E. Moser

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 9165, Physical Chemistry of Interfaces and Nanomaterials XIII; 91650N (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2063888
Event: SPIE NanoScience + Engineering, 2014, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

The plant pigment betanin is investigated as a dye-sensitizer on TiO₂ with regard to its potential to undergo twoelectron oxidation following one-photon excitation. Electrochemical, spectroelectrochemical and transient absorption measurements provide evidence for two-electron proton-coupled photo-oxidation leading to a quinone methide intermediate which rearranges to 2-decarboxy-2,3-dehydrobetanin. Time-resolved spectroscopy measurements of betanin on nanocrystalline TiO² and ZrO₂ films were performed on femtosecond and nanosecond time-scales and provide evidence for transient species with absorption bands in the blue and the red. The results shed light on previous reports of high quantum efficiencies for electron injection and point the way to improved solar conversion efficiency of organic dyesensitized solar cells.

Citation Download Citation

Fritz J. Knorr, Deborah J. Malamen, Jeanne L. McHale, Arianna Marchioro, and Jacques E. Moser "Two-electron photo-oxidation of betanin on titanium dioxide and potential for improved dye-sensitized solar energy conversion", Proc. SPIE 9165, Physical Chemistry of Interfaces and Nanomaterials XIII, 91650N (9 September 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2063888

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