01634nas a2200169   4500008004100000245014100041210006900182260000800251300001400259490000700273520096500280100001601245700002201261700002401283700003001307856012701337       2016                        eng d00aSynthesis and characterization of simple cost-effective trans-A(2)BC porphyrins with various donor groups for dye-sensitized solar cells0 aSynthesis and characterization of simple costeffective transA2BC  cJUL  a5704-57130 v403 aWe have designed and synthesized a series of simple cost-effective 'push-pull' Zn(II) porphyrin dyes containing various electron donors such as 2-thienyl, pyrenyl, phenyl, 4'-bromophenyl, 4'-tbutylphenyl and 4'-carboxyphenyl acceptor moieties in three steps. Their optical absorption spectra, electrochemical redox and photovoltaic properties have been investigated in detail. The overall power conversion efficiencies (Z) of DSSCs based on these dyes are in the range of 2.1 to 4.2% and highly depend on their donor moiety. The incorporation of trans-10,20-dimesityl groups is highly beneficial for preventing the p-p aggregation among the porphyrin moieties, thus favorably suppressing the charge recombination and intermolecular interaction. Among all, pyrenyl appended Zn(II) porphyrin has exhibited a higher power conversion efficiency of 4.2% under 1 sun illumination due to the extended p-conjugation and electron donating ability of the pyrenyl moiety.1 aKumar, Ravi1 aSankar, Muniappan1 aSudhakar, Vediappan1 aKrishnamoorthy, Kothandam  uhttp://library.ncl.res.in/content/synthesis-and-characterization-simple-cost-effective-trans-a2bc-porphyrins-various-donor01694nas a2200217   4500008004100000022001400041245008100055210006900136260000800205300001400213490000600227520098600233653002201219653001601241653001801257653002301275100002401298700001901322700003001341856010501371       2018                        eng d  a2365-654900aSilk cocoon as counter - electrode substrate in dye - sensitized solar cells0 aSilk cocoon as counter electrode substrate in dye sensitized sol  cJUL  a7195-71990 v33 a<p>Electrodes are vital components of energy conversion devices such as dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The widely used electrodes consist of fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) and platinum. We were interested in identifying a substrate that is available from natural resources and exhibit performance comparable to that of Pt coated FTO (Pt-FTO). Silk fibers are naturally available and they are mechanically stable. The woven silk fibers are known as silk cocoons (SCs) that structurally resemble widely used carbon paper electrodes. To impart conductivity to the insulating SCs, metal film was coated by an electroless metal plating procedure using polyphenols from green tea. The metal coated SCs were conformaly coated with a conjugated polymer and these electrodes were used as flexible electrodes in DSSCs. The flexible electrode based DSSCs exhibited a power conversion efficiency of 7.2% which is comparable to that of the DSSCs with rigid Pt-FTO based devices (7.4%).</p>10acounter electrode10aPEDOT-G-SCs10aRecombination10aSilk cocoons (SCs)1 aSudhakar, Vediappan1 aDas, Chayanika1 aKrishnamoorthy, Kothandam  uhttp://library.ncl.res.in/content/silk-cocoon-counter-electrode-substrate-dye-sensitized-solar-cells