Interface modification of 8-hydroxyquinoline aluminium with combined effects in quasi-solid dye-sensitized solar cells.

In this paper, 8-hydroxyquinoline aluminium (Alq(3)) was used in interface modification of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). Alq(3) was the first discovered interface modification material with combined effects of retarding charge recombination and Förster resonant energy transfer (FRET). Results of dark current curve and AC impedance showed that Alq(3) could retard charge recombination in DSCs. I-V curves showed that conversion efficiency increased with Alq(3) modification. Besides the interface modification effect, it was discovered that Alq(3) also acted as energy relay dye with the FRET effect between itself and N3, which increased photoresponse and electron injection. The application of Alq(3) with combined effects opened a new door to explore more novel multi-functional interface modification materials to improve the performance of DSCs.