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An Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics Study of the Mechanism and Rate of Dye Regeneration by Iodide Ions in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells
KTH, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health (CBH), Chemistry, Applied Physical Chemistry.
Westlake Univ, Sch Sci, Ctr Artificial Photosynth Solar Fuels, Hangzhou 310024, Peoples R China..
KTH, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health (CBH), Chemistry, Applied Physical Chemistry.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-0168-2942
2022 (English)In: ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering, E-ISSN 2168-0485, Vol. 10, no 6, p. 2224-2233Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

In the ambition to improve the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), it will be essential to understand the mechanisms and rates of dye regeneration. Although the mechanism of dye regeneration has been studied by static density functional theory (DFT) and classical molecular dynamics (CMD) simulations, ab initio molecular dynamics simulation (aiMD) has the potential to combine the insights from both methods for a deeper understanding. In this work, a series of aiMD simulations has been performed to study the interaction between an oxidized organic model dye, LEG4, and an electrolyte containing iodide ions as reducing agents. Dynamic Mulliken and natural spin population analyses show that two iodide ions, I-center dot center dot center dot I-, are required for dye regeneration. It was found that a distance between I-center dot center dot center dot I(-)of less than 6.5 angstrom at site 1 benefits from the electrostatic environment of the triphenylamine group of the LEG4 dye, and a corresponding distance of 4.8 angstrom at site 2 is essential for the dye regeneration process to take place. The rate constants of the LEG4 regeneration by two iodine ions range from 10(5) to 10(12) s(-1), spanning a window in which results from both experimental and static theoretical calculations fall. It is also verified that the probability of electron transfer from a radical I-2(-) to the oxidized LEG4 dye is extremely low due to the rapid electron back transfer. However, it has been found that the addition of an additional iodide ion at a distance of 5 angstrom with respect to the radical I-2(-) opens the pathway for the reduction of the oxidized LEG4 dye with an associated formation of I-3(-). The current results highlight the necessity for a dynamical approach for a full understanding of the regeneration process.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
American Chemical Society (ACS) , 2022. Vol. 10, no 6, p. 2224-2233
Keywords [en]
dye regeneration, rate constants, ab initio molecular dynamics, dye-sensitized solar cells, redox mediator
National Category
Physical Chemistry
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-309796DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.1c08101ISI: 000755206200023Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85124586813OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-309796DiVA, id: diva2:1644680
Note

QC 20220315

Available from: 2022-03-15 Created: 2022-03-15 Last updated: 2022-06-25Bibliographically approved

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He, LanlanKloo, Lars

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