Non-Coherent Photon Upconversion on Dye-Sensitized Nanostructured ZrO2 Films for Efficient Solar Light Harvesting

Abstract: Photon upconversion by sensitized triplet–triplet annihilation (UC-STTA) is a photophysical process that facilitates the conversion of two low-energy photons into a single high-energy photon. A low-energy photon is absorbed by a sensitizer molecule that produces a triplet excited state which is transferred to an emitter molecule. When two emitter triplet states encounter each other, TTA can take place to produce a singlet excited state which decays by emission of a high-energy (upconverted) photon. While traditional single-threshold dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have a maximum efficiency limit of ca. 30%, it has been predicted theoretically that implementation of UC-STTA in DSSCs could increase that efficiency to more than 40%.A possible way to implement UC-STTA into DSSCs, would be to replace the standard sensi- tized nanostructured TiO2 photoanodes by upconverting ones loaded with emitter molecules. Following TTA, the excited emitter molecule would be quenched by injection of a high-energy electron into the conduction band of the TiO2. To explore the practical aspects of this strategy for a highly efficient DSSC, in this thesis UC-STTA is studied in model systems based on nanostructured ZrO2 films. These ZrO2 films are a good proxy for the TiO2 films used in DSSCs, and allow for relatively easy optimization and study of UC-STTA by allowing measurements of the upconverted photons without the complications of electron injection into the film.Herein it is experimentally proven that UC-STTA is viable on nanostructured metal oxide films under non-coherent irradiation with intensities comparable to sunlight. Two different system architectures are studied, differing in the position of the molecular components involved in the UC-STTA mechanism. Both architectures have the emitter molecules adsorbed onto the ZrO2 surface, but the sensitizers are positioned either in solution around the nanostructure, or co-adsorbed with the emitters onto the ZrO2 surface. A set of challenges in the study and optimization of the UC-STTA process is identified for each type of system. Proposals are also given for how to further improve the understanding and UC-STTA optimization of these systems toward application in DSSCs to overcome the present solar energy conversion efficiency limit.