Abstract
We report a solid-state-dye-sensitized solar cell with an efficiency of 4% over the standard air mass 1.5 spectrum
(
100
mW
∕
cm
2
)
. This was made possible by using an amphiphilic dye with hydrophobic spacers. We attribute the performance to the self-assembly of the dye to a dense layer on the
TiO
2
surface with its carboxylate groups as anchors and with its hydrophobic isolating chains as blocking layer between hole conductor and
TiO
2
. In addition we studied the dependence of the thickness of the nanoporous
TiO
2
layer and the device performance. These results show the high potential for solid-state-dye-sensitized solar cells to compete with amorphous silicon cells as low-cost alternative.