A high surface area pn-heterojunction between TiO 2 and an organic p-type charge transport material (spiro-OMeTAD) was sensitized to visible light using lead sulfide (PbS) quantum dots. PbS quantum dots were formed in situ on a nanocrystalline TiO 2 electrode using chemical bath deposition techniques. 1 The organic hole conductor was applied from solution to form the sensitized heterojunction. The structure of the quantum dots was analyzed using HRTEM technique. Ultrafast laser photolysis experiments suggested the initial charge separation to proceed in the subpicosecond time range. Transient absorption laser spectroscopy revealed that interfacial charge recombination of the initially formed charge carriers is much faster than in comparable dye-sensitized systems. 2,3 The sensitized heterojunction showed incident photon-to-electron conversion efficiencies (IPCE) of up to 45% and energy conversion efficiencies under simulated sunlight AM1.5 (10 mW/cm2) of 0.49%.

The onset wavelengths of the surface photovoltage (SPV) in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) with different mesoporous, wide-band gap electron conductor anode materials, viz., TiO 2 (anatase), Nb 2 O 5 (amorphous and crystalline), and SrTiO 3 , using the same Ru bis-bipyridyl dye for all experiments, are different. We find a clear dependence of these onset wavelengths on the conduction band edge energies (E CB ) of these oxides. This is manifested in a blue-shift for cells with Nb 2 O 5 and SrTiO 3 compared to those with TiO 2 . The E CB levels of Nb 2 O 5 and SrTiO 3 are known to be some 200-250 meV closer to the vacuum level than that of our anatase films, while there is no significant difference between the optical absorption spectra of the dye on the various films. We, therefore, suggest that the blue shift is due to electron injection from excited-state dye levels above the LUMO into Nb 2 O 5 and SrTiO 3 . Such injection comes about because, in contrast to what is the case for anatase, the LUMO of the adsorbed dye in the solution is below the E CB of these semiconductors, necessitating the involvement of higher vibrational and/or electronic levels of the dye, with the former being more likely than the latter. While for Nb 2 O 5 hot electron injection has been proposed earlier, on the basis of flash photolysis experiments, this is the first evidence for such ballistic electron-transfer involving SrTiO 3 , a material very similar to anatase but with a significantly smaller electron affinity. Additional features in the SPV spectra of SrTiO 3 and amorphous Nb 2 O 5 (but not in those of crystalline Nb 2 O 5 ) can be understood in terms of hole injection from the dye into the oxide via intraband gap surface states.

A num her ofpotentiometric gas sensing electrodes using a hydrogen or other ion sensing electrode and agaspermeable mem brane have been st udied. A theoretical model has been developed describing the time response, electrical potential behaviour and Iimit of detection as a function of membrane properties, geometry, and internal electrolyte composition. Electrodes responding to carbon dioxidc, ammonia, amines, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxidc, hydrogen sulphidc, hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen fluoride, acetic acid, and chlorine have been constructed and their response characteristics are found to be in good agrecment with thc theorctical predictions.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract