Functional hybrid Materials fOr the Conversion of Solar Light into Electricity – FMOCSOLE

Organic-inorganic hybrids are promising new materials for various applications as energy storage and conversion. However, despite the recent advances achieved, there is still a strong need of fundamental research to circumvent the limitations encountered in the field of the photovoltaic conversion to obtain devices showing long-term stability and high efficiencies. Thus, light absorption, interface and leak problems, mainly due to a poor control of the nanostructuration of the different components and the limited absorption properties of the organic parts, have to be solved to reach efficient devices. In this context, it is planed to design new hybrid organic-inorganic solid systems able to convert light into electricity via the simultaneous development of three complementary aspects: i) organic "push-pull" photosensitizers and multi-dye "black" chains providing an efficient solar light harvesting; ii) hierarchical meso/macroporous pseudo-3D semi-conducting metal oxide networks enabling an optimal light absorption and a fine tuning of the interface with the organic components; iii) solid amorphous organic hole conductors, named molecular glasses, used to regenerate the system after illumination. Once the preparation of each components achieved, the oxide networks will be chemically modified with the new organic photosensitizers and the hole transporter will be inserted into the resulting hybrid structure to provide solid-state hybrid dye-sensitized photovoltaic cells that will be then characterized. The influence of the characteristics of each constituent (electronic and optical properties, morphology, structure, texture, hole mobility, etc..) on the photovoltaic performances will be thoroughly studied to highlight the parameters governing the efficiency of the new devices.