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| Author(s): |
Antonio Otávio de Toledo Patrocinio
Total Authors: 1
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| Document type: | Doctoral Thesis |
| Press: | São Paulo. |
| Institution: | Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Conjunto das Químicas (IQ e FCF) (CQ/DBDCQ) |
| Defense date: | 2009-10-01 |
| Examining board members: |
Neyde Yukie Murakami Iha;
Alzir Azevedo Batista;
Rose Maria Carlos;
Miguel Jafelicci Junior;
Frank Herbert Quina
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| Advisor: | Neyde Yukie Murakami Iha |
| Abstract | |
The thesis focus on two main topics: characterization of TiO2 films for Dye-sensitized solar cells, DSCs, and investigation on photochemical and photophysical properties of Re(I) polypyridyl complexes. Mesoporous TiO2 films were prepared by sol-gel method and by commercial oxide (P25, Degussa) and were characterized by XRD, SEM, B.E.T. and XPS. Both oxides were successfully employed in solar cells. Sol-gel TiO2 films are more transparent and, therefore, adequate for application on smart windows. On the other hand, DSCs with the P25 oxide have higher conversion efficiency in 600-800 nm region, due to the light scattering caused by nanoparticle aggregates in the mesoporous film. Conductive substrates were treated with TiCl4 solutions to deposit a blocking layer that decreases recombination reactions in DSCs. The treatment enhances the efficiency of the device, from 5.7 to 6.5%. Similar effect was observed by treating the surface of TiO2 films in the same way. The improvement was attributed to the enhancement of the electron transport efficiency in TiO2 films prepared by both, acid or basic sol-gel methods. Dye adsorption on TiO2 obtained by the basic method is lower, however the oxide has higher efficiencies of charge harvesting and charge separation. The use of both films in DSCs, one over the other, results in an efficiency of 5.8%. DSCs with natural extracts of mulberry, raspberry and blueberry were investigated analyzing extract compositions, electronic and action spectra. Long term radiation of DSCs with the mulberry solar cell, which has the highest efficiency, showed the device stability at least for 36 weeks. Re(I) polypyridyl complexes, fac-[Re(CO)3(Me4phen)(trans-L)]PF6, L = stpy or bpe, and fac-[Re(CO)3(dppz)(trans-bpe)]PF6 were synthesized and characterized by their spectral, photochemical and photophysical properties. Spectral changes under 313, 334, 365 or 404 nm irradiation are attributed to the trans-to-cis isomerization of the coordinated ligand. True quantum yields of the process, Φ, were determined by 1H NMR associated to UV-vis spectroscopy. The quantum yields for fac-[Re(CO)3(Me4phen)(trans-bpe)] (Φ = 0.32) and fac- [Re(CO)3(dppz)(trans-bpe)] (F = 0.37) are irradiation wavelength independent. On the other hand, F for fac-[Re(CO)3(Me4phen)(trans-stpy)]+ are higher for 313, 334 and 365 nm irradiation (0.59), than at 404 nm irradiation (0.31). This indicates the occurrence of more than one isomerization pathway in the trans-stpy complex. The photoproducts, cis-complexes, are luminescent in acetonitrile at 298 K. The Me4phen complexes can be back converted to the trans isomers with quantum yields of 0.15 under 254 nm irradiation. The emission decay of these complexes was investigated in different media and at several temperatures. The luminescence behavior was rationalized in terms of the relative energy of excited states. A deactivation pathway is proposed considering the internal conversion of the 3ILMe4phen to the 3MLCTRe→Me4phen excited states with an energy barrier (AU) | |